What's all the buzz about?

These are definitely happy days! Deborah gave the 'Good Taste Seal of Approval' on our renovations. Business at CCI is picking and our loyal customers and new customers bestowed the same 'Good Taste Seal of Approval' on our food, as usual! CCI catered a lunch at MMH's cardiac cath lab. It was sponsored by the guys who are teaching us coding. Absoluely everyone raved about the calzones, stromboli, pizza, and Antipasto salad. On Friday night, a loyal customer won $210.00 on scratch-offs that she bought from us. Yes, we are an official Florida Lotto Retailer! The cold front is over. I know, cold fronts are laughable in southwest Florida. Two of my six grandchildren will be here for the Christmas holidays. My African Violet is in bloom and one of my desert roses is getting ready to bloom. A neighbor's cat who was lost for 10 days is finally home, thinner but alive. Ralph's hand is recovering without any complications. I finally got to ride my new Verso Roma on Saturday for 27.12 miles. Due to being on call or being tired, my previous rides were short, longest one only 13.55 miles. And while I was out on my long Saturday ride, I had a Kodak moment with an alligator in The Meadows. Yes, life is good!

On another note, heart disease is picking up in Manatee County and Manatee Memorial Hospital's cardiac cath lab is getting busy. Hmmm, you might think this is an odd turn of events to bring happiness. Look at it this way: heart disease is out there no matter what and so is MMH's extremely skilled cardiac cath lab staff. We're ready at a moment's notice to ease the pain and save a life.

OK, that's not the current team. Some are still there. I'm there but not in the picture!

That's me in our EP Lab.

We're creating a buzz at CCI for a new and tasty treat. Stay tuned as our plans evolve. It will appeal to adults and children alike...and if you crave desert but hesitate to order it (despite the fact that we have the best Tiramisu and cannoli around), this will tease and satisfy your taste buds.

See you soon, either here or there!

Change your underwear everyday

It's a typical Sunday, the day of rest; you know, when I do laundry, cleaning, litter boxes, bird cages, and other assorted activities that I don't get to do during the week. It's also the day I make Finnish Pancakes for Ralph and me. This is our traditional Sunday breakfast. When we have company and I make it for the company, it's always a big sensation. Sometimes I make it when I'm on vacation and staying at Lester and Ani's house. It's a hit with the adults, but not so much with the kids. One would think that kids would love anything with fruit and whipped cream on the top, but that is not the case.

After about two years of making it, I had the recipe perfected. Then I don't know what happened. We had a few weeks when it was just mediocre. Once again it's a triumph!

Finnish Pancake: add honey, sliced peaches, whipped cream, & it's ready to serve & eat!

Took another 20.3 mile bike ride yesterday. What glorious fun! Ran out of water at about 10 miles, but I managed to complete the ride without daydreaming about drinking water from people's hoses or knocking on the doors of strangers begging for water. There's a little bar at Longwood Run Athletic Club that advertises $1.00 beer, but I never have any money with me. Not sure I really want to drink beer then continue my journey home. On another note, I didn't run into any seniors decked out in their cranky pants walking their dogs telling me to go ride in the street. I did, however, experience the weavers and creepers in the one area where I do ride in the bicycle lane. I hate when I'm invisible!

 

                     Serenity in The Meadows              Narrow bridge that's fun to ride over

It's fun riding 20 miles, and I suspect at some point, barring time constraints, I'll ride 25 miles. I experience a host of things on a 20 mile ride. Midway through the ride, my thighs start to ache, but that only lasts for about a mile or two. At around 10-16 miles, if I run out of water and it's very hot, I start to feel delirious and on the verge of heat/sun stroke. That doesn't happen often because lately I have been going out in the latter part of the afternoon. At about 18 miles, my butt starts to feel really bony. This is weird, because I don't have a bony butt. Then, I start to feel the elastic of my underwear digging into my cheeks leaving what I am sure will be a permanent imprint. Doesn't matter which underwear I have on, either. Actually, I found  about 15 pairs of another style of underwear. I'll try a pair of those on my next ride, which I hope occurs later today.

                    Looks like a very comfy seat, and it is, but only until about 18 miles.

And speaking of underwear, when you were a little kid, did your mother tell you to be sure to change your underwear everyday in case you had to go to the hospital? What the heck was that all about? If anything, that made me not to want to change them, then I could say, "I didn't change my underwear, so I'm not going to the hospital today." I feared doctors and hated hospitals. The thought of having to get undressed in front of strangers in the doctor's office or hospital haunted my youth. 

Don't worry, I didn't need that threat, but it did make me ponder why the nurses and doctors would be checking out my underwear and why they would even need to see them. I was painfully shy as a child, so that statement was especially traumatic for me. I'm not sure I understand why my mother wanted to scare me like that. She did the laundry. She had to know I was changing them everyday. She also had to know when they got holes in them and I needed new ones. I didn't have money and I didn't go shopping by myself. She was in charge of that. Yes, I wore holey underwear much longer than was necessary. That must be why I now have about 50 pairs of underwear. 

I see lots of underwear in the cath lab. Patients are not supposed to come to the cath lab in their underwear. Somehow, though, many patients fall through the cracks and arrive in their underwear and sometimes even in their shorts, pants, shirts, bras, and whatnot. Once, a patient came through the ER to the cath lab during winter in his coat. Really? It would seem pretty basic that someone somewhere would remove the coat in the transfer from the ER to the cath Lab. 

It's not that the nurses and doctors want to look at your underwear or you in your underwear, but in certain areas of the hospital, if they are on, we have to take them off. For what it's worth, lots of people missed the threat from their mothers about the underwear. So, this is your mother speaking to you now, "Change your underwear everyday in case you have to go to the hospital." I hope this doesn't traumatize you, but someone had to say it. You know who you are. And if you're coming to the cath lab, take them off, then I'll never know if they were changed or not!

Business is increasing and Carrie finds a check

Heart disease must be well maintained in Bradenton, because the cardiac cath lab was slow on Friday and we were all kicked to the curb by 1200, even the call team. I was part of the call team. There was a scheduled case for Saturday, and I was hoping not to get called in for the rest of the weekend. So much for hope, because we were called in at 2215 on Friday night, just as I was unwinding and considering a shower. Perhaps heart disease isn't so well maintained after all.

On Friday afternoon, I called Deb at the restaurant around 1640. I was due to be there by 1700. There were torrential rains in Sarasota at the time of my call, so I was reluctant to leave. I can drive in torrential rains, as well as snow, sleet, hail, and whatever else Mother Nature throws our way, but the rest of the Floridians, not so much. We've already covered the weavers and creepers on another post. Deborah had a delivery pending. Since that was the case, I told her I would leave and recommended she stay in the restaurant to keep things under control in case it got busy.

When I pulled into the restaurant, all the parking spaces were taken, except for one space down by Bruce's Taxi. I parked there. For some reason, I figured all the spaces were taken by the accounting office, which is weird, since it isn't even tax season.

Imagine my surprise when I walked in the restaurant and all the tables were full! I made an announcement thanking everyone for coming in and stated, "I can cry because I am so happy to see all of you!" Everyone was pleased and the night continued in the same way...and into Saturday and Saturday night! So, we just completed the best week we've had since early May. Thank you God and people. We are all very grateful and elated!

This is Frank and his family. They come in every Friday night. We put table one and table two together to accommodate what is typically a party of seven to eleven people. On Friday, there was a table of two sitting at table one which prevented putting the tables together. The diners graciously offered to move to table three, and we comped their beer. Everyone was happy!

Frank Jr's face lights up as soon as he sees Ralph. In fact, he looks clear through me to see Ralph, which is a blow to my ego. I consider myself to be a beautiful woman....but then Frank Jr isn't there for a beautiful woman; he's there for great food, so thus his joy in seeing Ralph!

                                    Is this not the face of a beautiful woman?
                                                     OK, NOT.
                           But this was right after donating blood and I just wanted to die!

Frank Sr times me when I go on delivery. Once when I left on delivery, I told him I would take a long time because this particular customer loves me and hasn't seen me for awhile; therefore, the customer would want to hug and talk to me. Yes, there are some customers who prefer me over Ralph! Anyway, the whole table awaits my return and Frank Sr gives me my time. I threw him for a loop this week when I got back in two minutes. I hand carried food to Bruce's Taxi, which is right down from us. Of course, I'm not telling, I just let them think I am super fast.

In addition to all that, we previewed the new Great Balls of Fire appetizer. They were a big success with the customers who tried the free samples. Of course, Ralph, Deb, and I loved them because we love hot and spicy food! It also comes in a sub and pasta dinner.

                                    Great Balls of Fire Appetizer for $5.29

Some of you will remember my biking travails from last month. After the warranty work was completed by the Village Bike Shop, I sent email to Mark, the customer service rep at Nirve, requesting reimbursement. He agreed to send a check. I remembered all this on Friday night as I was trying to fall asleep. It seemed like the check should have been here. I have this penchant for throwing mail unopened into the recycling bin. I figured there would have been a Nirve return address that I would have seen and I would then have kept that piece and not recycled it.

When I came down from my room on Saturday morning, I saw a white piece of paper laying the the drive way. I thought it must be a flyer from someone offering to spruce up my zen garden and didn't give it another thought. A little later when I was in the garage and getting ready to leave for MMH, I saw a post card that I must have dropped when I brought in the mail on Friday night. It was at that point that I reconsidered what the white paper was in the middle of the driveway and went out to retrieve it. Right, it was the check from Nirve. I don't know how it wasn't blown away in the torrential rains we had that night, but I'm sure happy it wasn't.

So, with the dramatic increase in business at Carmella's Casa Italiana and finding the wet Nirve check in the driveway, I pretty much believe that God is watching out for me. Sometimes I tend to forget that. How about you?