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This Goes Under the Category Did You Know -If Not Now You Do

May 10, 2010 by pbenjay

Hidden Feature On Foil & Plastic Wrap Boxes? : TipNut.com.

My friend Gail sent this link to me a couple of days ago – it seems My Ode to a Shirt Cardboard reminded her that she is on a crusade to spread the foil, I mean word about this little known household hint/fact!  Actually I did know about it because my sister-in-law came to my house one weekend and while we were cooking she demonstrated this little trick to me.

I was flabbergasted –  I consider myself an observant person to the world around me and certainly I COOK a lot so how come after omg this many years,  I never knew or heard about this feature!!??   So as promised I am joining Gail’s crusade and spreading Stacey’s word and I advise you to check out the link – just proving again that you are never too old to learn something new!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Everyday Food, Marthaspeak | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

Baciarmi? NO- Bocce!!

May 10, 2010 by pbenjay

With winds hovering between 20 mph and 35 mph blowing sand in our eyes and the court in really bad shape, four of us decided to play Bocce  Saturday afternoon.  We’re not quite sure who is in charge of the town’s Bocce courts but whoever is, isn’t!! The sand base seemed more like red clay, bumpy, pitted and has cracks and rocks and even weeds growing in it.  There are actually two courts and apparently whoever is in charge has entirely forsaken that one because it is really overgrown with weeds.

So the plan was to bring some beverages cleverly disguised as something they were not and I brought a platter of hors d’ouevres  and we brought along our brand new Bocce set.  None of us were really sure of the rules and although I had played years ago, there were a few points I wasn’t sure of, so we decided to sort of wing it.

Ron threw down a gender challenge and so Trish and I teamed up to see if we could beat Peter and Ron at this ancient game which shares a common ancestry with Boules and Petanque. We jumped ahead in early lead only to be overtaken by Peter’s continuous improvement with each throw and Ron’s dead on aim at knocking one of our balls out of range of the pallino or boccino or jack – the small ball we hoped to kiss! But then again take a look at this and tell me if you even see a red ball anywhere in sight!

pallino, Bocce, Ocean Grove, Bocce courts, Boccie, bocci, bocino, jack

Two Points for Us

Our opponents;

Oceean Grove, Bocce, Bocci, Boccie, palino, bocce court, Peter Press Ron Emenheiser

Gimme the Ball, Peter!

The rules of the game are quite simple and IF I hadn’t been so Martha-organized-obsessed they might have been in the Bocce set case but they were not!  I thought they might be in a folder at the cottage – I’m sure it seemed like a really good idea at the time.  But anyway, now that I’m home, I have looked them up and see that we bent the rules quite a bit but now I know how to play and these are the basic rules;  the game can be played as singles or as a team of two or four.  A player tosses the pallino to the mid-section of the court and it has to land in a prescribed zone which is about 5 meters in length and about 2 meters from the backboard.  If the player misses twice the other team gets to toss the jack ball into the zone.  The player or team who threw the pallino gets to bowl first and then the opposing player or team bowls. However, from that point on, only the team who is not close to the pallino gets to bowl again and again until one of their balls is now closer or they use up their turn.  At the point the first tosser gets to try to knock away any of the opponents balls that are close to the ball. Only one player or team can win points per frame.  And the team with the closest number of balls to the pallino wins a point for each of their balls that are closer to the pallino than the opposing team. The game is usually 9-13 points

We had a cheer leader, Pacqui

Havanese Bijon mix, Bocce court,. cheerleader, Ocean Grove, Bocci, Boccie, Pacqui
Pacqui Cheers the Good Girls On!

And even with our pretty pooch rooting for us , we lost in the end. Well not exactly lost, we had caught up and made the game a tie when Ron said, “he had to go pick up his pants from the dry cleaner” Oh sure……

My partner, Trish.

Trish Martin, bocce courts, bocce, bocci, boccie, pallino Ocean Grove

The Wind Up and the Pitch!

Posted in Friends, Ha-P 2 B in OG | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

ODE to a SHIRT CARDBOARD

May 8, 2010 by pbenjay

What you really need here is a SHIRT CARDBOARD!  This innocuous everyday item is an essential household tool.  But how many people know this?  Like when was  the last Bridal Shower you attended where someone gave the new-to-be homemaker a shirt cardboard????  I’m guessing NEVER.  I’m not even sure some of the younger readers  of this blog even know what I’m talking about.  So for the uninitiated; a shirt cardboard is a fairly thin rectangle of card stock, usually white on one side and gray on the other side.  It is approximately 8″ x 14″ and is placed in the folded shirts that come from the professional laundromat or dry cleaner. If you had a husband like mine, you would be well-acquainted with this item because my husband has LOTS and LOTS of dress and casual shirts all of which he sends to the laundry to be washed, ironed and folded, each with a shirt cardboard in the middle of the folded shirt.

It’s a well known fact that this handy dandy item is JUST NOT WELL KNOWN.  I, myself only learned about its myriad uses in the last couple of years and as you all know, I’m no spring chicken and I have been a housewife, homemaker for a long long time.  I bet you’re thinking this time she’s gone cheeky as in tongue in chic! But it’s true, a shirt cardboard is one of the most versatile household items I know, and everyone should have some because you can use a shirt cardboard to:

  1. Use as a guide to cut wrapping paper in a straight line with a razor
  2. Use it as a dustpan when you sweep the floor
  3. Put one or two pieces in the bottom of your acrylic sink to protect it when you are scrubbing pots and pans
  4. It can be an edger to when you are painting woodwork
  5. You can make a box out of one or two, to encase a soft item before you gift wrap it
  6. Scoop up cat vomit with a paper towel and a shirt cardboard
  7. Insert into an envelope to stiffen it when mailing a magazine
  8. It can become the backing in photo or picture frame
  9. Better than paper for your grandchild to draw on
  10. Cut into whatever shape you need to trace (ie hearts, pumpkins, stars)
  11. Perfect handy flexible ruler
  12. Tape several together and let your kids draw roads and houses where they can play with their toy cars
  13. Wrap Christmas garland and tree lights around a piece to prevent tangling
  14. And  a easy to grab for cutting board – Not for food but everything else

And if you are of a certain age it makes a large handy fan for those moments.

Posted in BY THE WAY | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments »

From Seductive Chloe to Sophie the Romantic

May 5, 2010 by pbenjay

Amanda Seyfried is a very pretty up and coming actress – her looks are compelling.

Chloe, Sophie, Letters to Juliet, enhanced lips, luscious lips, actress, Amanda Seyfried
The Lovely Amanda

Peter thinks she’s beautiful so I always tell him that her lips are enhanced!  Well that’s just catty chit chat.  Anyway, Amanda was the protagonist in the  eponymous movie, Chloe where she played a sinister (my word) seductress.  Personally I thought she was evil and the movie was part Fatal Attraction and part True Lies.  Chloe was a calculating, unfeeling to the point of being robotic,  sociopath.  Spoiler – she gets hers in the end. Two weeks later we are watching the same doe-eyed luscious-lipped Amanda portraying Sophie in Letters to Juliet. Sophie is the ultimate eternal romanticist.  She is sweet, cloyingly adorable and an idealist in the romance department.  A very sweet romantic comedy and again she gets hers in the end. You would think that these two movies are poles apart but for some nagging reason,  I kept seeing parallels in the roles.  In both roles Amanda  shows us  a range of facial expressions; with her eyes as the windows into her heart and soul, she is wistful and waifish, her pouty mouth playing a big role.

Although this blog was basically about Amanda in her two recent starring roles, I want to point out that Vanessa Redgrave is in Letters to Juliet and although she is not starring in the main role, it is difficult to cast her as the supporting actress in this movie.  Her presence on the screen is nothing short of phenomenal – she is the focal point of every scene she’s in.   What a great role for her! AND for all you romanticists out there  who are now of a certain age, note this – Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero are a real life couple.

Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave, Franco Nero, Letters to Juliet, Tuscany

It's Never Too Late For True Love

It was a poignant evening watching Vanessa’s magnificent performance one day after her sister, Lynn Redgrave passed away. Vanessa is the sole surviving member of the super talented Redgrave family.  This year, her brother Corin, also an actor, died as well.

Go see it! It’s heartwarming, sappy, funny, predictable and will make you cry happy tears and believe in true love.

Vanessa Redgrave, Amanda Seyfried, Letters to Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Verona, Tuscany

Letters to Juliet

Best Quote: “I don’t think my grandmother would at all be interested in meeting someone who used ‘awesome’ and ‘oh my God’ in the same sentence. That was said by Christopher Egan who looks a lot like a young Val Kilmer.

Posted in BY THE WAY, From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Cinco De Mayo! Then and Now

May 5, 2010 by pbenjay

May 5th, battle of Puebla, cinco de mayo, celebration, Mexico, French forces

This is Why We Celebrate Victory

If you’ve noticed a sudden dearth of avocados, limes, Corona Extras and Jose Cuervo at your local grocery store over the past couple of days, don’t panic — no one is conspiring against you. Instead, your neighbors are simply stocking up to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and all over the United States with delicious Mexican cuisine, far too much alcohol and plenty of fanfare.

But Cinco de Mayo (“the fifth of May”) is much more than an entertaining way to forget an entire day’s worth of events. The holiday owes its origins to the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, when the Mexican army overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to defeat invading French forces from conquering the state of Puebla. The victory remains a cause for commemoration nearly 150 years later.

Interestingly enough, Cinco de Mayo isn’t celebrated in Mexico nearly as much as it is in the United States, as the country’s most widely recognized national patriotic holiday is actually the Mexican Independence Day on September 16. But Cinco de Mayo gets plenty of attention in the U.S. not just from Mexican-Americans, but also from anybody interested in seeking out new forms of cultural exposure — largely due to the efforts of liquor companies and Mexican restaurants.

Last year, MTV Tr3s sent comedian Cristela Alonzo to Los Angeles’ historic Olvera Street to report on the community’s deep understanding of Cinco del Mayo. While the holiday has historic roots, Alonzo acknowledged that many participants view Cinco de Mayo as “an excuse to get drunk and party.” But as Alonzo learned, enjoying the rowdier aspects of Cinco de Mayo doesn’t have to come at the expense of forgetting the holiday’s cultural significance.

“What’s important is to remember the meaning behind the holiday,” she reported of her findings. “It’s about freedom and to celebrate those who had the courage to defend it.”

So as you immerse yourself in today’s festivities, make sure to put your ice cold cerveza down for long enough to acknowledge the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo, a holiday built on the foundation of freedom. ** This article is from the MTV website

And today!

Corona, Dos Equis, beer, fiesta, Mexico, Battle of Puebla, cinco de mayo, jose cuervo, tequila, limes, margharitas

Cha Cha Cha It's Fiesta Time

You know what they say: Drink responsibly, Drive safely –  OH WAIT, we live in New York City, we can be totally irresponsible – BUT then again  here is May 6th to think about!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Everyday Food, New York Speaks, Only in New York | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

OK So It Wasn’t ALL WORK and NO PLAY

May 4, 2010 by pbenjay

Most weekends in Ocean Grove follow a sort of pattern; there’s the opening of the house and putting away whatever we brought down. There’s the grocery shopping for two households, the Home Depot and Costco runs, the lawn care and blah blah blah you’ve heard it all before!

This weekend went a bit awry in both directions – the high road and the low road.  It was a BUSY weekend for sure and prior blogs Raise a Glass in Remembrance, Oh Dear, There’s a Deer Here reveal some of the adventures we had over the course of the three and a half days we were there.

We went to the first cook-out of the season on Saturday night.  The day was glorious and our friend Joe, celebrated his new terrace by purchasing a gas grill which Jim put together during the course of the afternoon.  Susan did the shopping,  I made a salad, Joe had weekend guests and as the preparations were underway and as other friends were casually encountered, each was invited and WOW it really was GREAT.  The Gaybors next door came laden with side dishes and grillers (sausages from the Amish market).  Monica who also lives next door arrived with wine and more food.  And the dogs…. Madison, the resident Yorkie was an accommodating host to Timmy who was a weekend guest and Monica’s Yorkie, Mickey who lives next door.

Saturday Night Cook Out
HOT DOGS!
Garden Gnome, Joe's gnome
Joe’s Garden Gnome
corn on the cob, grillers, hot dogs, salad, barbeque, cook out, grill
And Grillers!!!

Oh yes, the Gnome came too.

One of the best ways to wind up a long weekend is to sit on a porch overlooking Wesley Lake.  Of course it’s best to be friends with Heide in order to do that.  Heide (pronounced Hi-deh) invited us to a Sunday night supper on her porch – yeah, we’re down for that! Although it was getting humid and sticky, the porch was cool as  a breeze wafted off the lake and we were in the shade.

Wesley Lake, Ocean Grove, red peppers and spinach dip, wine and cheese on the porch
Sweet Peppers and Spinach Dip
Ocean Grove, Wesley lake, cheese and crackers, grapes,
Tasty Bites on a Sunday Night
Susan Taylor, Taylored4U
Susan Enjoys the Evening

Susan and Jim were invited as well. As dusk descended, we all went inside and had a DELICIOUS salad with chicken.  AND fresh strawberries and cream and pizelles

pizelles, Italian cookies, dessert with strawberries and cream
Pizelles with Strawberries and Cream

NOW that was ALL FUN, indeed it was BUT, BUT – on Saturday night before the cookout, after killing all the weeds with a FULL container of Weed Be Gone and as I was putting it up on the shelf in the shed, the container hit a lantern hanging from the shed ceiling which fell and hit me on the bridge of my nose -” Peter, help, I think I broke my nose, omg, omg!”  As I am yelling and trying desperately to reach over a wagon, a bike, a bird seed container while bleeding, I CANNOT reach the container of weed killer which is now pumping all over the shed floor! Oh what a mess!!! Needless to say everything had to come out of the shed.  How do you mop up a gallon of weed poison that has mixed with dirt and dust from the floor? NOT easily!  It was  a disgusting job and since the weed killer got on so many things that I rinsed off the hose, it will be interesting to see how much grass I killed in the process 😦

Back track to last Sunday when Peter got a flat tire and by the time he could drive to a place where someone could change it, he had driven through the sidewall.  The Strauss Auto Store put the spare on and gave us a quote for 4 new tires and we drove back to NYC.  THIS Saturday I noticed that the left rear tire was really soft so I drove to the first place that had an air pump and asked them to help me – the guy put air in the tire and told me I needed new tires.  I got a quote from them too.  Yesterday, we looked at the tire and again it was soft!!! Of course it’s Sunday! So we went back to the first place  and asked them to repair the tire BUT they said it was against company policy to repair a tire with so little tread – Geezzzzzz  We begged and wheedled and fibbed and said we had to get back to NYC tonight and we would back next week to possibly put 4 new tires on the car – BUT their quote was $140 more than the second place. Oy Vey

So that wraps up the weekend except for the part where I bought so much stuff at Costco that I had to put half of the frozen items in the Lilligaard’s freezer.  Amen.

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, Ha-P 2 B in OG | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Cinderella

May 2, 2010 by pbenjay

Cinderella, Finley Ray Clark, Finny

Have You Seen My Glass Slipper?

Posted in Finley Ray | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

OH Dear! There’s a Deer Here!

May 1, 2010 by pbenjay

deer, Ocean Grove, deer on Main Ave,

Just A Scared Little Deer

There she was, frightened into immobility, surrounded by alien creatures – those of us who came to see, gawk and wonder what was a deer doing on Main Avenue in Ocean Grove??? The little creature somehow wandered into our midst in the early dawn hours and was wandering around Main Avenue (didn’t she know the shops don’t open till around 8:30 or 9am?) Eventually she strolled over to a vacant lot which straddles both Main Ave and Heck St.  So there she was…trapped! Because now the onlookers were quickly gathering on both streets and she was in the middle.  If you know anything about deer, you know  that they are ever on the alert for movement around them as they are the favorite prey of hunters and a couple of natural enemies too.  God or if you would prefer Mother Nature dressed the deer in a camouflage tan so they would disappear amongst tree branches and instinct has taught them to be motionless until they sense the danger has passed.  This deer looked like a lawn statue only occasionally moving her head from side to side as some slight movement sent more adrenalin pumping through her body and tensing every muscle to be ready to bolt if necessary. I took a couple more photos with my little point and shoot and without a really good lens, it was hard to get a clear and close -up shot of the deer.

And then I left…tears were rolling down my cheeks.  I could NOT watch this poor animal anymore, so confused, so trapped – and there was talk that maybe they were going to try to tranquilize it and I sure didn’t want to see that.  I left Peter behind to see the outcome and walked home, hoping that the deer would somehow be able to escape.

deer, Ocean Grove, Main Ave
Why Are You All Looking at Me??

Posted in Ha-P 2 B in OG, Nick & Nora and Flora & Fauna | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

Raise Your Glass in Remembrance!

April 30, 2010 by pbenjay

This evening we participated in a very special event! You might say we held an Irish wake, sort of…several of Susan and Jim’s friends gathered at beach tonight to honor the memory of Isabelle, their beloved Weimaraner who passed away last week.  Susan thought it would be a fitting tribute to Isabelle if we met at the beach and toasted Izzy as she was known to me and Belle as Jim affectionately called his girl. It was a great idea!

Jim Taylor, Ocean Grove,

She Was My Girl For Sure

People came with their dogs and with memories of furry loved ones gone.  And fitting it was to have the dogs racing around through the sand, tails wagging wildly, barking, yapping and loving every minute of this last minute freedom to do so.  Tomorrow is the beginning of Ocean Grove’s NO DOGS on the BEACH or the BOARDWALK policy which is in effect from May1st to October 1st. Actually there were quite a few last fling before the season begins dogs and owners on the shore tonight.  Big dogs, little dogs, black dogs, tiny dogs, dogs wearing neckerchiefs, dogs splashing along the shore nipping at each others’ heels – All in Fun!

French bulldog, Sammy and Harry, Ocean Grove, Jersey shore

Getting to Know You!

Cindy who owns The Dawg Joint in Asbury Park showed up with all the dogs that had not been picked up when she left to join us.  She brought Bubbles, a big fluffy two year old Bernese Mountain dog. Chakra, a lovely white Boxer mix as well as Remi, her own Lab Rhodesian Ridgeback mx.  Maggie Mae, Flo, Sammy and Harry were all in attendance and even a couple more.

Sophie Taylor, rescue dog, Jersey shore, Ocean Grove

Sophie Taylor Looks On

Susan spoke from the heart, about the life of Izzy while she was with them, the joy she brought to both of them, but especially her affinity for shadowing Jim, to whom she was very attached and vice versa I might add.  I didn’t know Izzy very well but I certainly will not forget the picture in my mind of her sprawled out on the end of the couch, snoring, while Susan would straighten out my latest disaster in knitting.  We all had the opportunity to say a few words about those pets of ours that have died.  Peter thoughtfully suggested we bring a picture of Murphy Brown and so we did and took our moment to remember the joy that big orange ball of a cat brought into our lives.

As the last rays of the rapidly retreating sunshine disappeared, we gathered up our stuff, wine bottles, glasses and blankets and with lots of hugs and kisses bid each other all a good evening and then we were gone!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

“It’s Only A Paper Moon” or is it?

April 29, 2010 by pbenjay

rising moon, red moon, orange moon, planters moon, flower moon, peony moon,

The Moon Masquerades as a Sunset

Ding! I heard my cell phone alert that a text had arrived – I looked at the clock and said to myself, “who is texting me at this hour?” It was Susan, inviting me to meet up at the Fishing Pier in Ocean Grove with a few other “moonies” to see the day old full moon rising.  In all my years of moon watching and moon loving, I don’t ever remember watching the moon rise from the horizon of the Atlantic ocean.  It was a sight to behold. I arrived just in time to see a small slice of orange peeking above the distant black horizon.  Slowly, oh so very slowly, the orange slice grew larger until you could see the top quarter of the orange globe.  Well first of all, I never expected it to be orange!  The only other orange/red moon I ever saw was in South Africa was glorious and high up in the night sky.  So here we are; an assortment of Ocean Grove residents gathered on the boardwalk oohing and ahhing over this ball of fire, this moon which was the color of a sunset was emerging before our eyes.  The well prepared people had cameras, tripods and lens – I FORGOT TO BRING MY CAMERA!!! I must remember to have camera and Flip with me at all times.  I know I’ve said that before, I’m a slow learner.  I tried to take some feeble shots with my cell phone see below:

moon over the water, full moon, planter's moon, peony moon, flower moon, orange moon

and by this point the moon had clearly rose and as it inched up in the sky, its brilliant hue began to fade and eventually was all white.  So I borrowed the shot of the rising orange moon because I wanted  you to get an idea of the magnificence of this natural phenomena.

This moon known to the early American colonists as the Planter’s Moon is aptly named since most New Englanders and Middle Atlantic residents know it’s not a good idea to plant anything much before the end of this month because Mother Nature every now and then throws us a couple of freezing days and we are once again wondering if Spring will ever really be here.

In Chinese astrology, this moon is known as the Peony Moon and from that I gather they are living in a more temperate zone because my peonies just have buds now and probably won’t bloom until mid May or later.

I’m partial to the lore of Native Americans and in their culture this moon was known as the Flower Moon. Could this be because they lived where the Dogwood trees bloomed, the Sweet Cherry trees bloomed and if you look in my lawn you can see that April is the month the dandelions begin to bloom too.  I know that Daffodils, Tulips, Iris and a few other perennials bloom so sweetly, reminding us that summer is just around the corner BUT do I think the Indians were planting bulbs from Holland the previous Fall? NO I don’t!ll

We were a fairly well-behaved group, moon admirers and thank goodnes, no Lunatics were in evidence. You really have to look over your shoulder to make sure there aren’t any lunatics near by.

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, Ha-P 2 B in OG | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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