Sally's Blog

BAD Haircut Redux

2012-01-28T17:36:00.001-04:00

Needless to say, I never heard from First Choice Haircutters after I sent an email. I went to the store in question on the corner of Price & Toledo Blade Blvds. & explained my dilemma. The same person who cut my hair (Shannon--who shouldn't be allowed to hold scissors, never mind run with them) said that since the haircut was on Jan. 6 & it was now the 24th, too bad for me. I patiently explained that I DID respond on the same day to the corporate website & got no reply. She offered to pay me $9 for the haircut ($5 tip not included) out of her own pocket. I refused, saying that I wanted $14 back & walked out of the store. I then called their 800-number & reported the gory details. They said they'd look into it & also said since the tip was "voluntary", I can kiss that refund goodbye. Seems to me that if someone is really dissatisfied with the service, you'd refund EVERYTHING. Shame on you First Choice Haircutters! BTW, she also said they never got my email. When I went to their corporate website again, I got a minimally functional page that is "under construction." The first time I went, I was able to report the incident & also enter a contest for why I should be the "Face of First Choice". HA! I posted a pic of the crappy haircut & said no one should be the face! So it's not about the money, it's about service. If you're in business & you want to be successful, the customer really is always right. Is $14 really worth me badmouthing your salon to anyone who will listen?
I went to my favorite stylist Marguerita at Great Clips & got a much better cut...

Brother Niel in the background.

Florida Home For Sale

2012-01-15T09:53:00.000-04:00

I'm selling my Port Charlotte home, my little piece of paradise. I have an architect working on house plans for my Texas land...looking forward to retirement and organic farming an acre of land on Lake Worth.

Tired of winter? Come to sunny southwest Florida! Country living in town. Move-in ready! Close to everything yet secluded in beautiful palm & pine forest. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2-car garage pool home on 1/4 acre. Central heating & air conditioning. Solar heated pool with large screened enclosure. Large master suite with double vanities & walk-in closet. Loads of storage including outside 10' x 12' storage shed, upper & lower cabinets in garage, kitchen pantry & large closets in spare bedrooms. Tile floors throughout for easy maintenance. Furnished living room, dining room, family room, bedrooms & most dishes/cookware. Inside laundry with washer & dryer. Appliances included. New roof in 2006. Maturing papaya, pineapple, mango & citrus. A short drive to beautiful gulf beaches. Many restaurants, a shopping mall & movie theaters within 2 miles. Port Charlotte Cultural Center, libraries & hospitals near by. $215,000.

Click for images: https://picasaweb.google.com/117590924365453556506/FloridaHomeForSale?authkey=Gv1sRgCIuP0YXYk43r5QE#

BAD Haircut

2012-01-09T10:31:00.000-04:00

My graying hair was getting too long for my face. I thought it would be nice to have a natural neck-warmer for the winter but it was too much to take care of so off to First Choice Haircutters for my usual "bob." I was on my way to visit a friend & First Choice is around the corner from her house. I told the stylist that I wanted it undercut so it would naturally curve under without me having to spend too much time with it after shampooing. Also specifically said I wanted it longer in the front, angled along the jaw line. EEEEK! I should have suspected something when she didn't offer me the hand mirror to inspect the back. What a hack job! If the opposite of "undercut" is "overcut", that is exactly what she did. And not even layered evenly! Also cut way too much off the sides--the request for an angled cut following the jaw line fell on deaf ears. The cut is so amateurish! I called my regular stylist at Great Clips & made an appointment for the next morning. Marguerita did the best job possible but there's only so much you can do to save it...like cut it all off & wait for it to grow back. Marguerita has cut my hair perfectly in the past & I'd highly recommend her. I think she'll be taking some time off soon though--she's about 7 months pregnant!

Girls day out to Sanibel/Captiva

2012-01-04T13:09:00.000-04:00

Got together with some old friends & drove to Sanibel & Captiva Islands off the coast of Fort Myers in Southwest Florida. We drove almost to the end of Captiva & had lunch at The Bubble Room. Their website has this to say about the place:
"This fascinating American-cuisine restaurant is composed of eye-catching memorabilia from the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's. Toy trains, twinkling colored lights, and more than 2,000 movie stills and glossies of stage and screen legends greet customers curious to see Captiva's famed restaurant.
Servers are aptly titled "Bubble Scouts," and sport zany hats and khaki uniforms covered in crazy buttons. Outside, the colorful decor of the three-story Bubble Room building makes you smile even before you enter. Once inside, you'll find a 7-foot Mickey Mouse from a 1930 Disney float and an old "Santa's Workshop" from a Macy's department store window."

The company was better than the food. The memorabilia was amazing--so much to look at. I'm sure you'd see something new each visit. Very colorful & kitsch-y. After lunch we walked on the beach near the Sanibel-Captiva bridge & picked up some shells. We would have stayed on the beach longer but it was windy & cold. We then stopped at one of the many tourist shopping malls & looked at some very nice merchandise made mostly in China. It was a fun day spent with friends & a great way to start a new year.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T16:52:00.001-04:00

Drove to Fort Myers on Saturday evening with 2 of my brothers (Niel & Chico) for a little dinner party with our old friends Deb & Rich Corrus and Kathleen & Chip Sanga. Lots of laughs & catching up, reminiscing about times in Putnam, CT. Don't remember much of those days in the 60s & 70s. I left there in '73 & have no desire to ever live there again. Most of my family is still there so I visit for a few days in the summer. Feeling less inclined to go now that my mom died....I hope everyone has a very happy, healthy & prosperous 2012.

Theadora Van Runkle, Costume Designer, Dies at 83

2011-12-20T19:09:00.000-04:00

Theadora Van Runkle, a self-taught costume designer who earned an Oscar nomination for her first picture, "Bonnie & Clyde," died of lung cancer on Friday in Los Angeles. She was 83. I worked for Thea in Gualala, CA when she & her then-husband Bruce McBroom were refurbishing The Old Milano Hotel. I haven't seen her since those wonderful days in the late '70s when I painted walls, hung wall paper & cut palings for the garden fence. The above photo is of her & "Dogwoody", a most good-natured pet. It was always so much fun being around her & Bruce--they were so kind, generous & funny. One winter before the hotel was open they let me caretake the place. When it finally opened, it had at least 7 guest rooms plus Bruce's "baby", the refurbished caboose out back that he had hauled to the property to make a private suite on the cliffs over-looking the Pacific ocean. They furnished the hotel with a lot of antique furniture they bought from an MGM auction. One night I was watching "Wuthering Heights" with Merle Oberon on TV, all snuggled up in the 4-poster bed in the master suite on a cold, wet, northern California night. In the scene at the end where Merle is swooning away in bed with Heathcliff at her side, I realized I WAS IN THE SAME BED!!! eeeek! Bruce & Thea were in France doing a Pink Panther movie with Peter Sellers (Bruce is a still photographer). They would call weekly to see if everything was all right & I asked about the bed. They had, in fact, bought it at the MGM auction. How cool is that?! Theadora was quite a lady & I'm sure she will be missed. She had a lot of style & I adored her. I searched the web for photos of The Old Milano & found a post that said it burned down in the early 2000s. How sad...Those two really put their style stamp on it.

Friends, Fired Clay, Poetry & Linking

2011-11-18T14:05:00.000-04:00

I've recently started adding to this blog because of my old friend Mike Hiler, writer, musician & potter extrordinaire. If you're interested in various types of clay & glazes, you should check out his blog. There is also a good story about the biggest Mountain Hemlock in the universe that he & his son had nominated in the National Register of Big Trees (Yes, there really is such a thing!) Here is a picture of part of that famous tree: 27 feet 3 inches around!

New Pass-through Shelf to the Lanai

2011-11-16T20:45:00.000-04:00

The original Formica shelf outside my kitchen window was ugly & falling apart. The particle board on the underside was crumbling more each day. I thought it was a project I could finish in half a day so off I went to Home Depot for two 2x6x8' boards & a couple of throw-away brushes. The kind gentleman at the store cut the boards to 81-1/2 inches & I headed home. I had to cut the corners off one of the boards which they don't do at HD...I used the chop saw then laid them out on the saw horse for sanding, staining, gluing & clamping.

Next I had to disassemble the old shelf. Removing the window was easy but the old rusty screws holding everything together since 1989 were frozen solid. I blistered my hand tyring to unscrew them. The left side was impossible! I tried a hammer, crowbars, a hack saw blade which I had to take off the saw because it wouldn't fit in the tiny space to work it....it did't even put a dent in that damn screw! I wrecked a wood chisel & slammed my hand on the wall when one of the tools slipped. I called a contractor friend to bitch about it which really helped 'cause I got to vent my frustrations on him for a few minutes. He has an impact drill (& man-strength) but he's in Arizona so I just ended up finally tearing the sucker off the wall & chipping away the remaining particle board. In my last blog I raved about Charlotte County Glass where I went to buy the aluminum track that the window runs on...I couldn't use the old one because the screws were rusted into the Formica shelf. Fortunately, I brought it with me & Bob (who has an impact drill and man-strength!) was able to take it apart for me. I put the first coat of varnish on at 6 p.m. & added 3 small pieces of oak flooring scrap that I got from my friend Charlie Wilson who has a wood shop outside of Hartford, CT. I glued & screwed them perpendicular to the 2 boards for extra strength. So much for a half-day project! I hung a beach towel over the open window for the night..

Got up at 7 & placed the shelf on the existing brackets that I couldn't pry off without dynamite. I put a second coat of varnish on before breakfast then rode my bike 3-1/2 miles to work to complete our mandatory annual nursing skills testing. I guess I passed--I still have a job. I got home around 1 p.m. after stopping at Lowes for a few more throw-away brushes. Third & last coat of varnish was applied & clean-up started. By 4 p.m. everything was back together & put away. It's been really warm so I jumped in the pool to celebrate completion of my half-day project!

Charlotte County Glass Rave

2011-11-15T15:37:00.000-04:00

I'm replacing the deteriorating pass-through counter from the kitchen window to the lanai (pictures to follow in the next blog). Lots of old rusty screws holding everything in place--really hard getting it apart. Finally ripped the old counter out & tried to unscrew the aluminum track that the window slides on. No freakin' way could I loosen the rusted screws so I thought I'd go buy another track. Charlotte County Glass at 1146 Market Circle sells everything for windows & doors plus probably lots of other stuff. I told the woman in the office what I was looking for & said I brought the counter with me so I could get the right brand & size. She sent Bob out to look at it & he said he has an impact driver & will be able to remove the track from the counter. So YAHOO! I tried to pay him for his time but he refused. That's great service. Thank you Charlotte County Glass! I've bought glass from them before & they're always very helpful.

Build/Paint Projects

2011-11-14T18:15:00.000-04:00

I've been building small tables & shelves the past few years, partly out of necessity but now more for the fun of it. Friends always ask why I don't sell them 'cause "they're so cute!" I guess I like them too much. and I could never get enough money for the time that goes into each one. I'm thinking about building something much bigger---like a dining room table or a TV cabinet...

Walmart Rant

2011-11-14T17:31:00.000-04:00

Went grocery shopping at Walmart yesterday & picked up a 5# bag of fresh NY state apples for $3.50. What a deal! When I checked my receipt, I saw that I was charged $5.87! That's a lot of dough for someone struggling to feed a big family so check your receipt. This seems to happen a lot at Walmart...

El Mirador Hotel, Acapulco: Don't Go There!

2010-03-17T16:03:00.014-03:00

Possibly the worst hotel experience we've ever had! I understand why there isn't a "reviews" section on their website. I filled out a review on travelocity & found out the hotel deleted their listing from that site! I contacted the hotel directly through their website with the usual auto-responder answer that they'd "get back to me soon." Never heard from them...The rooms were musty-smelling. No ceiling fans in the rooms (which I much-prefer to air conditioning at night). The bellman turned on the air conditioner with his remote control when we arrived---one temperature whether we wanted it or not. The one in my brother's room didn't work--he had to tell the reception desk every day to fix it. And they are old & too loud! The chipped paint, rotting wood doors, moldy bathrooms & crumbling cement balconies were appalling. My balcony had 1 dirty & broken plastic chair, my brother's had a dirty old table, no chairs. The beds are hard & uncomfortable & the pillows are lumpy. I had only 2 hot showers in the 8 days I was there. And no potable water for the guests! The 2 times we ate in the restaurant we were overcharged by almost double. Shameful! The pool was dirty. Never again. This place was a real gem when Elvis was there filming "Fun in Acapulco" with Ursula Andress in 1963. My brother said his room "smelled like Elvis Presley's ass!" (Don't ask me how he knows what that smells like...) About the only thing El Mirador has going for it are the fabulous views. I've spent a lot of time in Acapulco over the years & it's really going down hill. It's a little dirtier, more run down & closer to 3rd-world status than President Felipe Calderon would have you believe. For a town that depends so heavily on tourist dollars, you'd think they'd put in a little more effort.

Dentist Rip-off. A rant against Dietrich dental in Port Charlotte.

2009-10-21T16:47:00.003-03:00

My left front tooth (crown) fell off so I called the dentist who did the work--Dietrich Dental. Since it was over a year ago (1 year, 1 month to be exact) they said it would cost $138 to fix it. Fuck that! I called my new regular dentist who was closed...So then I called a dental lab. Did you know they aren't allowed to deal directly with the public? Florida state law. But they recommended the dentist next door to the lab (Dr. Menendez) that fixed it in less than a half hour for $30!!! So if you like to spend more than triple what anyone else pays for a dentist, by all means, go to Dr. Dietrich! They boast about their "sedation dentistry" for those who panic at the thought of going to the dentist. They charge you $300 for giving you an Ativan (like Valium). Just go to your doctor for a script---much cheaper! They claim they have to monitor your vital signs & make sure you don't drive home "under the influence." They can bite me!

RIP: The Best Coffee and Tea

2009-01-17T10:26:00.003-04:00

The Best Coffee and Tea was put to rest on Dec. 31st, 2008. RIP
Two years of trying to make an online store profitable, or even get visitors to the site.......I failed at it. I'm proud that I went from NO visitors to over 600 per month in that time but I think to be successful, you need 600/day! I lost interest. I didn't want to put in the time or money. I have a full-time job in nursing. So maybe I'll change my profile name & email & post on this when something catches my interst or just plain pisses me off.

"One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say." ----Will Durant

Is Starbucks Going Belly-up?

2008-07-22T12:11:00.003-03:00

Starbucks is closing 500 stores. Boo hoo. I'm not really surprised. So many people I talk to say "I don't care. I don't even like Starbucks." The cost of coffee, the sluggish economy & increased competition from the likes of ME is what is depressing Starbucks' growth. Howard Schultz returned as CEO recently. Management announced that it will be testing $1-a-cup coffee with free refills. That should help. In this economy, who can afford $2-3 for a small cuppa joe? I find the taste of their coffee bitter & burnt. I much prefer my own brand. I've been drinking my smooth Fogcutter mixed with the strong & distictive taste of the Tanzania Peaberry...a real eye-opener in the morning.

Defining Acidity in Coffee or Why does This Wonderful Beverage Upset My Stomach?

2008-04-29T16:28:00.002-03:00

Many of us love a steaming cup of freshly brewed, flavorful coffee in the morning to get us going (& throughout a busy day for a little "pick-me-up.") But what happens when your coffee turns your stomach into a fiery, churning cement mixer? Part of the problem may be your body's own acid/alkaline balance but certain coffees are known to be more acidic than others. It has been shown that coffee grown at higher elevations in volcanic soil has a higher acid content than its lower elevation kin.
First off, let's not confuse the bitterness of poor quality coffee that is improperly brewed and left on the burner too long. There's nothing like over-heated, low-grade java to turn your stomach into a gurgling volcano---not to mention what it does further on downstream! Good quality Arabica beans make a big difference in the outcome. The majority of supermarket ground coffee is made from Robusta beans which are cheaper to produce and, most likely, stale.
Coffee experts use the terms "acidity" & "body" to describe the highly valued attributes of different kinds of coffee. Acidity can be described by such terms as bright, sharp, dry or vibrant and is not usually related to the undesirable bitter or sour taste achieved with poor quality beans & improper brewing techniques. Body is described as the weight of coffee: light, medium or dark, & sometimes rich or heavy. The type of bean, where it was grown & how it was roasted determine coffee body & is related to the fat content of the bean. (A light roast has a lower fat content, whereas a full-bodied coffee has more fat.)
Proper brewing of your gourmet coffee beans is the key to a delicious, non-acidic cup of coffee. Using a French Press-type coffee maker is the best way to control brewing time & temperature—the 2 key factors that affect the final outcome. Put measured amount of coarse-ground coffee (2 T per 6 oz. of filtered or spring water—adjust according to strength desired) into bottom of press. Add water 195-205 degrees, stir & steep for 4 ½ -5 minutes. Press the plunger down to separate the grounds from the extracted coffee. Enjoy! If you are using a large press (up to 12 cups) & don't plan to drink it all at once, store your freshly brewed coffee in a thermal carafe. Or use an insulated version of a coffee press. Try these gourmet beans for a low-acid brew: Brazil Santos, Celebes Kolossi, French Roast, French Roast Decaf, French Vanilla, French Vanilla Decaf, Sumatra Mandhelling.

Jokes and Java: Start Your Day with a Great Cup of Coffee and a Good Belly Laugh!

2008-03-10T21:46:00.003-03:00

"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those I love I can; all of them make me laugh." ---W.H. Auden
The delicious flavor and sweet aroma of that first cup of coffee in the morning makes you feel like you can accomplish anything put before you during the day. It brightens your mood, lifts your spirits, makes you feel on top of the world. In the same way, a good laugh also lifts your spirits & brightens your day. It relieves tension, stimulates your immune system, helps you cope and enhances the quality of your life. Laughter gives you an internal massage with the movement of the diaphragm, thus stimulating the kidneys, liver & stomach. Imagine starting your family’s day with a hearty laugh! In India, Dr. Madan Kataria started laughter clubs in 1995. A group of people would gather early in the morning to practice breathing & laughing exercises. The names of some of the “laughs” are enough to put a smile on your face. They include Flying Bird laughter, Lion laughter, Pigeon laughter, Mobile laughter, Finger Tips laughter, Flower and Chocolate Shower laughter, Spring Doll laughter and Earth to Heaven laughter. They also make a mental pledge: "I will not get angry and provoke others to become angry. I will keep smiling through the day and pray to the Almighty, Nature and my ancestors for good health and a peaceful life.'' No doubt the groups go off to their respective jobs in a very pleasant frame of mind. Challenge your family members to come up with a joke or funny story each morning. Top that off with a fresh-brewed cup of my delicious coffee and you have a recipe for a happy and productive day. When you sign up for my occasional newsletter I will send you 9 jokes to get you started laughing.

May We All Be Coffee

2008-01-11T20:25:00.000-04:00

My friend, Anne Greiner from New Hampshire, emailed this to me today. Anything about coffee catches my eye and I particularly liked this parable. So brew yourself a pot of my delicious gourmet coffee & enjoy!

"Carrot, Egg, Cup of Coffee"
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She took the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, 'Tell me what you see.'
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength?
Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
May we all be COFFEE.

Coffee Cups

2007-12-13T21:27:00.000-04:00

An old friend of mine just emailed this to me. I don't know the author but I like the sentiment. Of course it caught my eye because it seemed to be about coffee and I sell coffee online.
Coffee Cups
A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee. When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering. ''You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems!"
He continued, "Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups. Then you began eying each other's cups." Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee! "The happiest people don't have the best of everything - they just make the best of everything they have. So, please remember: Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God. And, the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

Coffee, Friendship

2007-09-16T13:56:00.000-03:00

I was enjoying my morning cup of Celebes Kolossi coffee on the lanai, sitting in wonderment of the verdant beauty all around my property here in southwest Florida. What a blessing it is to be here in 80 degree weather when my sister just told me she drove home from her night shift nursing job with a quadriplegic in 37 degree weather. Brrrr! I was catching up on my reading of the “Daily Guides to Living” in Science of Mind magazine. (September 2007, Vol. 8, No. 9) I was touched by the September 10th entry by Linda Watson and have reproduced it here to share with my friends. Please know how dear all of you are to me. (And feel free to pass the link along to your friends!)

“With each true friendship we build more firmly the foundation on which the peace of the whole world rests.”---Mahatma Gandhi

“It is almost certain that between friends there is at all times a silent communication.”---Science of Mind, page 77

How often have we found comfort and solace in the love and caring of good friends?...the people who have been unwavering in their steadfast gaze into our souls, who have resolutely reflected our divine nature in the midst of our human antics...those kindred spirits to whom we have relinquished our facades and fears. These are our treasured friends and allies, they are our soul friends.
John O’Donohue wrote this about the concept of anam cara (soul friend): “this friendship was an act of recognition and belonging...a sense of ancient knowing.” We have had moments along our journey when we have met people with whom we instantly felt at ease. These soul friends warm and sweeten our life in countless ways. In their presence we have reclaimed our wholeness and authenticity, we learn to trust again.
Let us be deeply grateful for those soul friends with whom we have experienced mutual beneficence, who have blessed our lives immeasurably. We are keenly aware that these friendships, as Gandhi stated, “build more firmly the foundation on which the peace of the whole world rests.”
I remain forever grateful for the friends who have blessed my life and in whose love I have been nurtured and healed.

Home Coffee Grinders: Burr or Blade—Which Should I choose?

2007-08-21T20:19:00.000-03:00

If you’re new to the flavorful & aromatic world of gourmet coffee, you may be at a loss as to which kind of grinder you’ll need for your fresh-roasted coffee beans. Keep in mind that there are a couple of things that affect the flavor of your freshly brewed coffee: air & heat. To address the first--air--you need to store your beans in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place--NOT the refrigerator. (Unopened beans can be safely stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.) Some coffee aficionados go so far as to store a small amount of coffee that they’ll use in a few days’ time so they don’t continually open a larger bag & expose it to the flavor-destructive element of oxygen.
The next problem is heat. To really get the most out of your precious beans, it is preferable to grind only what you’ll drink right now. Coffee left on a hot plate more than 20 minutes or so starts to lose its flavor. Using a vacuum bottle/carafe to store your fresh brew is preferable to leaving it on a hot plate. When choosing a grinder, the best ones are low-speed conical burr grinders. This is because the size of the grounds is more uniform & the beans aren’t exposed to very much heat. The beans are crushed against a cone-shaped burr. With a blade grinder, the beans are unevenly chopped at high-speed, creating the dreaded heat that burns the coffee. The finer the grind you need (i.e. for espresso), the higher the heat. Blade grinders are available commercially for as low as $18. Burr grinders start as low as $42 & go up from there. (I have seen manual burr grinders as low as $39. They’re a real plus if you live in hurricane country like me & have frequent power outages. The manual grinders also generate less heat.) This is a brief discussion of burr vs. blade--but the short answer is a low-speed conical burr grinder because of the uniform grind & reduced heat when grinding. You be the judge. If you have access to both burr & blade grinders, have a coffee-tasting party & ask your guests which they prefer.

Coffee Recipes

2007-08-11T18:16:00.000-03:00

My sister asked me if I knew any good summer iced coffee drinks and all I could think of was the "Frozen Irishman" I had last week at a friend's house. It tasted so good---and that's the danger---it goes down so easily, you can drink 3 or 4 of them without even realizing it. Until you're staggering to the door & glad you only live 2 houses away so you don't have to drive. And then you're kind of wired from the coffee so maybe it's a better breakfast drink...It's noon SOMEWHERE! No really, I only had one & it was 2 p.m. but beware! They are sinfully delicious!
Frozen Irishman
· 3 oz. Cold Espresso
· 1 oz. Old Bushmill's Irish Whiskey
· 1/2 oz. Kahlua
· 1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
· 1 scoop Vanilla Ice Cream
· 1 dash Simple Syrup
· 4 cups Ice
Blend all ingredients until smooth

I've read that drinking fresh-roasted coffee improves blood flow!
Enjoy the delicious flavor and sweet aroma of the freshest roasted coffee beans---delivered quickly to your door! Fresh-roasted gourmet coffee as low as $7.44/lb. when you buy 20 lb. bulk. Get together with family, friends, your work place & enjoy The Best Coffee and Tea!

Stevia-the sweet herb as a sugar substitute

2007-08-06T10:05:00.000-03:00

While enjoying my delicious cup of Costa Rican Terrazu this morning I heard on my local jazz station Smooth Jazz 100.1 a discussion about Stevia---the sweet herb that has never been known to harm anyone. The DJ'd never heard of it before & didn't know where to get it. I have been using it for a long time and get it at Swanson Health Products. I have also seen it at Walmart and of course, my local health food store, Feger's. There has been much controversy over this herbal sugar substitute. You can find out more detailed info about it at http://www.stevia.net/. In a nutshell, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has recently shined its negative spotlight on the sweet herb that has never been known to harm anyone, and pronounced it a menace to society. The problem with CSPI's anti-stevia campaign is that the organization doesn’t appear to have even read the stevia-related material to which it refers the public. If it did, it might have noticed its points being contradicted by its own "outside experts."
Douglas Kinghorn, adjunct faculty professor of pharmacognosy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, stated in a safety review of stevia that accompanied the American Herbal Products Association 1992 GRAS affirmation petition: "It may be concluded that the vast majority of the scientific safety evaluation studies which have been performed to date endorse the use of stevia rebaudiana leaf and stevioside as sucrose substitutes. This is substantiated by the extensive use in Japan of these products without a single adverse report to date."
Interestingly enough, Aspartame, the chemical sweetener now added to countless products from yogurt to children’s vitamins and medicines has been the subject of many thousands of consumer complaints about side effects ranging from migraines to seizures, and was considered a possible brain-tumor risk by the FDA’s own scientists. Nowhere, however, do the food police seek to ‘arrest’ the use of aspartame, whose manufacturer, Nutrasweet is believed by many to be the original complainant that launched the FDA’s crackdown on stevia. "Big Sugar" has a lot to lose if we start substituting a harmless herb for sugar.

Food Drive is a big success in Southwest Florida

2007-08-02T13:02:00.000-03:00

Charlotte County ROCKS! Charlotte County, Florida collected 1,666,372 pounds of food in the annual Postal Food Drive, sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service. Nationwide, only one branch in the same category (1000-2499 branches) brought in more food: Buffalo, N.Y. The West Coast Florida Branch has 1200 members while Buffalo has 2400 & approximately 3 times the population. Florida's local carriers picked up an average of 1290 lbs. of food each, compared to Buffalo's 900 lbs./carrier. These are amazing numbers and show that Charlotte County & the rest of West Florida are leaders in caring for those less fortunate. You ROCK!

Heat, humidity & cold drinks

2007-07-19T12:01:00.000-03:00

This is the first year of my 5 years in southwest Florida that I've used my air conditioning! I moved here because I LOVE the heat. My first trip to FL was in August to see if I could stand it. Love, love, loved it! So I bought a house with a pool and settled in....I opened all the doors & windows and thoroughly enjoyed the heat & yes, even the humidity. Fast forward to 2007 & when I'm home during the day, the AC is ON! At night I can get by with the overhead fan. What happened? Age? Have I become acclimatized? Is it hotter or more humid? (Maybe I should ask Al Gore?) I’ve been looking at recipes for icy-cold drinks and thought these Café au Lait recipes from my website would adapt well to blending with ice cubes. I’ve also added a shot of Kahlua or Bailey’s Irish Cream to them for a real sweet treat with a kick. Make the recipes as directed, and then chill before adding ice to them in the blender. Try it with my Espresso Dark Roast or French Roast. They both come in Decaffeinated and the French Roast is a low-acid coffee for those with sensitive stomachs.

Cafe au Lait Recipes
The difference between cafe latte, café con leche and cafe au lait is the fact that the first beverage is Italian in origin, the second is Spanish & the last is French. Also, typically the French & Spanish versions are actually made with strong brewed coffee and not espresso.

Basic Cafe Latte: Make a single shot of espresso. Add steamed milk to fill an 8 to 10 oz. latte mug (preferably clear). Lattes are frequently flavored with Italian syrups. Nut flavors such as hazelnut and almond are among the most popular additions.
Cafe au Lait: To make a French cafe au lait, brew strong, dark roast coffee using the drip method. Serve with a separate pitcher of heated (not frothed) milk. In France, cafe au lait is often served in a bowl instead of a cup. This open-mouthed vessel is convenient for dunking brioche and croissants. It is also useful for warming one's hands while seated outdoors. Traditionally, cafe au lait is consumed at breakfast. The coffee and steamed milk are mixed by the customer to change strength and proportioned as desired.
Cafe Con Leche: Similar to cafe au lait, but a Spanish beverage. Dark roast coffee is brewed by drip method then mixed with sugar and served with heated milk. It is customary to serve cafe con leche with warm, buttered bread.

Strangled by my seatbelt!

2007-07-14T16:21:00.000-03:00

I got a ticket last month for improper use of my seatbelt. It was "Click It or Ticket" month otherwise the cop probably wouldn't have bothered. Maybe he was bored or had a quota to fill---7:30 on a humid Sunday night in SW Florida. I was on my way home from a private duty nurse case---I'd worked 43 hours in 3 days because the lame-ass nurses from the agency supplying the night shift were 5 hours late or didn't bother to show up at all. I always wear a seatbelt! But being short, the strap cuts across my carotid artery and digs into my neck. VERY uncomfortable & if I was ever in an accident it'd probably strangle me---maybe even decapitate me! eeek! Perish the thought! The Honorable Judge Alessandroni didn't want to hear it...Since I plead "not guilty" he had to continue it until Aug.20th when the arresting offficer could give his side of the story. So this morning as I was enjoying a cup of Panama Boquete coffee I searched online for others who have had this problem. It was nice to find out that I'm not alone! Check out this article by Julia Sneden--New and Not Improved Enough. It appears that Pontiac has taken note that short drivers get all choked up with their seat belts & have put an adjustable wall mount in all their cars. I wrote to Toyota & let them know they should also look into it. My Matrix doesn't have an adjustable wallmount. Japan is not exactly a land of giants so maybe their cars accomodate a shorter populace. Anyway, wish me luck when I go to court next month. I'm bringing all this online info to show that nice officer the error of his ways. I was wearing a seatbelt before he was born!

Mexican Coffee

2007-06-27T16:16:00.000-03:00

I spent 8 wonderful days in Los Cabos, Mexico at the beginning of June. Most of the time I was working---installing doors in a luxury condo on the beach, of all things! Ate and drank well and actually didn't gain any weight! I guess it was the heat & the constant activity. I don't know where the hotel got their coffee but it was rich and dark and delicious. It reminded me of the La Fortuna Estate coffee I sell on my website.
Founded in 1908, La Fortuna Estate is dedicated to the cultivation of the highest quality Arabica coffees. La Fortuna Estate is located in the famous Sonocusco region in the State of Chiapas, high (3800 ft.+) in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountains of Southern Mexico. With the careful eye of management, La Fortuna is committed to environmental concerns, in particular the preservation of animal, bird and plant life. Water used in the processing of their precious beans comes from natural water springs located on the estate. All of their coffees are shade grown with trees native to the area. The end result of these on-going efforts by the management and employees of La Fortuna is a delicious tasting coffee - full bodied and rich.
I have travelled to this region of Mexico & can highly recommend it. Check out Lagos Montebellos---a region of lakes in the mountains. You can see several of the lakes from a high vantage point & they appear to be different colors....turquoise, light blue, jade, gray. Intriguing and beautiful!

Coffee grounds and cellulite

2007-05-29T14:56:00.000-03:00

On May 14th I posted a note on organic skin care that my sister told me about. (using brewed organic coffee grounds as a facial scrub and cellulite reducer). The info was in a newsletter that she gets from a Dr. Lark. Her website is at drlark.com---Lots of health info. I'm not necessarily saying I agree with everything she has to say but she does have a lot of good stuff there.
I've been doing a lot of reading on website promo and decided to add a questionnaire to my site. Maybe I can figure out what people are really wanting from their delicious cups of coffee. (I get a big energy boost from it to start my day). Is it the flavor of specific types? The convenience of home delivery? The competitive prices for Gourmet Coffee? The large selection? Still trying to figure out all the nuances of cyber world promotion. There's WAAAY more to it than I ever imagined. Hope you're all having a great day. I just finished three 12-hour shifts in a row and need a nap.

Recipes using coffee

2007-05-23T16:04:00.000-03:00

My sister sent me this delicious recipe for Coffee Ice---don't know where she got it but if you recognize it as yours, let me know through this blog & I'll create a link to you! Check out the link on this page for more coffee recipes.
COFFEE ICE
Ingredients:
· 2/3 cup sugar
· 1 tablespoon water
· 1 3/4 cups low-fat milk
· 1/4 cup espresso beans
· 3 each large eggs
· 1 each large egg white
Directions:
· Preheat oven to 325F. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath.
· Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns a deep amber color, 5 to 6 minutes. Immediately divide among four 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups, tilting them to coat the bottom evenly.
· Combine milk, coffee and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until steaming hot but not boiling. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl.
· Whisk eggs and egg white in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture. Skim foam from the surface, then ladle the custard into the caramel-lined ramekins. Place the ramekins in a small roasting pan and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
· Bake the custards until they appear firm when lightly shaken, about 40 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
· To serve, run a sharp knife around the inside edge of each ramekin. Set a plate upside down on a ramekin; grasping mold and plate together, quickly turn over and jerk downward several times. The caramel should fall onto the plate. Scrape any leftover caramel over the custard.

mmm, mmm, good

2007-05-16T22:16:00.000-03:00

So I was working Hospice Crisis Care the last 4 days with an old lady who is no longer independent but she won't admit it (yet). She's 81 & has been living in an Independent facility. Her sons came to visit because her hospice case mgr. told them she needed help. These guys are any mother's "dream sons". (If they weren't married I'd make room for them in my dreams, too.) They totally stepped up & got her into a great new beautiful assisted living facility so someone will be there for her 24/7 because they can't. Their lives in states far away from Florida are full of their own families, jobs, travels, etc. They spent the last 5 or 6 days packing, moving, unpacking, putting away, donating to Habitat for Humanity, Good Will, etc., getting Mom situated in a loving, caring place, buying whatever she needed to make it right. Yay for them! Well, they seem to enjoy a certain type of "big name brand" coffee which I won't mention, and I wanted to convert them to my fabulous brews that are available online. Ray is like me in that we have no room for the sissy "flavored" coffee. I suggested he try the "Fog Cutter" because it's rich and dark and strong really does cut that a.m. fog. Works for me every time....

Organic skin care

2007-05-14T09:30:00.000-03:00

My sister gets an alternative health newsletter that had an article about using brewed coffee grounds as a facial scrub. So we've both been doing it for about a month. The grounds help to slough off dead skin & the oils in the coffee hydrate & nourish. I still have the wrinkles from years of basting myself in baby oil in the Mexican sun BUT, they are very SOFT wrinkles! I'll try to remember to ask her WHO sends her the newsletter next time we speak. Maybe the author will let me post a link to her in my next blog....
Have a fabulously rewarding day!

more about tea

2007-05-12T12:53:00.000-03:00

Still trying to figure this out. I feel so dense! Maybe iced tea is the answer---you know all the purported antioxidants in green tea...we'll see if I'm actually learning all this linking stuff. Just please click on that green tea link & see if it takes you there...Thank you.

coffee, tea, me

2007-05-12T12:09:00.000-03:00

My head is spinning! I've been reading SEO since 8 am & decided to take a break & learn something about "blogging". It took me 15 minutes to figure out how to get HERE! I'm feeling like a blob--not a blog. Time to run around outside. Or maybe not. Did you hear/read about the blanket of smoke over FL? Kinda gray out there. Particulate matter? Maybe not he best idea to make my lungs work harder...Iced green tea by the pool?

Love my coffee in the morning

2007-05-11T22:31:00.000-03:00

Coffee, gourmet coffee, coffee beans, organic coffee, tea, green tea, herbal tea. Love all of it. And in the past 3 months I've learned so much about it just because I thought I'd start a web business. What was I thinking?! eeeek! It's a lot of work! It's like when I signed up for nursing school at 53 years old...what a nut! Well, I keep trying...