The Lisa Life

The Food Of Michigan

Many regions in the United States are known for a particular type of food.  The Eastern Seaboard is known for their seafood, as is the Pacific Northwest.  The South is known for Southern Style Cooking, of which I am guilty of upon occasion.  New York is known for any and every type of cuisine you could crave.  Texas is known for it's bar-b-que and of course, California is known for it's fruits and nuts cuisine.

What food or cuisine, dear and gentle readers, is Michigan reknowned for?  Did you miss that page in your AAA Trip Tik?

Vernor's Gingle Ale and Faygo Pop

Although neither are particularly outstanding, they are Michigan products and if you lived in Michigan and had a tummy ache, your Mom gave you warm Vernor's to settle it with some soda crackers.  Never mind that Vernor's is excessively carbonated and much too gingery, it was from Michigan, goddamn it and Uncle Earl's brother drove a Vernor's truck so drink it.  Faygo Red Pop, however, was a treat.  Carbonated Kool-Aid, with additional flavors like Rock N Rye and Creme Soda and the strange Diet Faygo flavors, like pineapple orange.

Pasties

Pasties are actually an Upper Pennisula thing.  They are Cornish pies, made popular by the miners who first settled in the U.P.  The orignial Yoopers.  A pastie is a pot pie, cooked sideways with the added bonus of rutabega.  If there is seasoning involved, it is salt and pepper.  Did they never hear of garlic up there or what?  An oversized Marie Callender pot pie that is laying on it's side because it's given up since it's so bland.

Michigan Wine

The Leelanau Penninsula, the wine, blah blah blah.  Michigan wine sucks.  I've only had one halfway palatable kind, Acturos from Black Star Farms.  That was okay.  Not superlative, not really good.  Just okay.  The best of the lot.

Coneys

We don't have diners in Michigan, we have coneys.  Each one has it's own claim to Coney fame.  A Coney in Michigan is a chili dog in other states.  Personally, I would rather drink my own blood than eat a hot dog disguised under chili  or anything else so I can't be a judge of Coneys.

Cherries!  We Grow Cherries!

Michigan grows a lot of cherries.  In fact, I have eaten a cherry tofu burger thing that wasn't half bad although the cheese made it a little bit disconcerting.  In Michigan, cherries are made into everything from filler for juice to candles and body lotion and the trees are used for salad bowls.  Michigan cherries with some chocolate wrapped around them and dried cherries and cherry tea are really something.  You'll get hooked.  Just check out www.cherryrepublic.com.

What's your favorite Michigan food?

Small Town Scandal

Sometimes I think I should start a blog of Livingston County Celeb Sightings.  Not that we have real celebs limoing through town on their way to Lu & Carls for some Yager and a muffaletta sandwich, but the local celebs and the local scandals.  They are just as much fun.

I could start with this:

What prominent farming family is reeling from the news that one of their own has been trading crack cocaine for sex?

Which could segue into this:

Which Howell school board member is facing a recall due to her religious beliefs, which also preclude her sending her children to the public school on whose board she sits?

Which would lead me to this:

Which Brighton City council member was spotted at The Stout on Tuesday night dancing wildly to You Shook Me All Night Long and had obviously forgotten a very important undergarment, namely her bra?

I could include lots of pictures, blurry from a cell phone so I don't get sued.  I could go on WHMI in the morning and Marino and the Morning Crew could get me to dish.

What do you think?   I could be the Perez Hilton of Livingston County.

Time And Tide

My father-in-law gave me this poem and said I might like to post it on my blog.  He is very artistic and is working on a ship in a bottle and keeps taking every empty glass bottle I have.  (Pssst, I don't think the Allegro Marinade bottle is going to work, nor the hot sauce one.)

Pretty good poem, I think.

                                           Time and Tide

I must go down to the sea again

Away from pollution and din

And all I ask is a small ship

And a bottle to put it in.

So I'm heading nor-east to a wind-swept coast

And a sheltered cove that I miss the most.

And every day when the tide's at flood

I'll toast lost shipmates in "Nelson's Blood".

My vessel, fashioned of virgin pine

with top mast reaching for unseen skies

encased in a bottle that once held wine

will grace my mantel and be my shrine.

Screaming gannets and angry seas

To my ear, will be beautiful symphonies

I'll light my pipe and I'll fill my glass

And drink to my memories.

Of ships storm-tossed and seamen lost

On raging uncharted shoals.

Of Trinity Ledge and Georges Banks

Where the wind Atlantic rolls.

Of balmy nights and gentle winds

On South Pacific Isles

Of palm tree shades and dusky maids

With enigmatic smiles.

But the years have taken their toll and so

My sight is failing, my steps are slow

But the ships are calling and I must go

Where the tides of Funay ebb and flow.

Tonight I'll return to the clean salt air

The roaring breakers and curlew's scream

Eight bells will strike and I'll be there

Down to the sea, but only in dreams.

The Little Things

Friday evening, we went to the Fantasy Of Lights parade in Howell.  I haven't been in many years.  It was a lovely parade but very poorly organized.  Only one Port-A-Potty in sight and no traffic control at all, although there were over 30,000 people in this small downtown and it wasn't like that should have been a surprise to the organizers.  It also seemed like there were a lot fewer floats than I remember, probably due to the bad economy here.  It's got to be expensive to put out a float with all the lights.  NOTE:  I have pictures but I have to find the damn cord to the camera. 

The best part was that we got to meet up with my friend Tammy and her husband Sam.  I've known Tammy since middle school, I think.  Regardless of the longevity, we had fun ridiculing people (teen-age girl wearing winter coat, scarf and hat with flip-flops for example) and truly, the parade is very festive and almost makes my shriveled little Grinch like heart sing.

Last night, Tammy came over and hung out with us and we talked, oh my, we talked so long and it was just so great.  She brought wine, too, which is always a bonus but just such a simple thing, an old friend coming over to hang out and eat leftover Thanksgiving appetizers was so much fun.

During this holiday season, which always is so hard for me since my mom died the day after Thanksgiving seven years ago, which always rattles around in the back of my head this time of year, I took great pleasure in the simple fact that a friend came to visit.

I haven't been able to celebrate Thanksgiving in the spirit of "Yay, the Pilgrims came to this country, kicked away the people who lived here and bumble fucked their way into becoming America" for many years.  I'm a third generation immigrant and that just doesn't apply to me.  The Pilgrims were just really bad guests and the Native Americans were awfully generous in sharing a meal with them, since the Pilgrims were nearly starving to death at that point.

Anyway.

I am thankful that I have people in my life who love me.  I am thankful that I have people in my life that I love.  I am thankful that although I don't agree with many things my government does, I am allowed to voice that opinion freely.  I am thankful that I have friends and appreciate the simple little things like enjoying an evening with a friend.

Like my friend Rose used to always say, it's the little things.

In Which The Author Meets The Other Resident Of The House

I absolutely love my new house.  It's big.  It's got a lot of charm.  I love the huge kitchen.  I love it's character.  I'm very happy in my new house.

Both Beth and her daughter told me there was a ghost.  They are neither of them flighty or metaphysical at all.  Of course, being the bean counter that I am, I chuckled weakly in hopes of being convincing and changed the subject.

My sister is very metaphysical and I scoff at that as well and always ask her, "So what's Plan B?"

I don't even believe in ghosts.

I need to be rethinking that.

Sunday, our favorite soldier Sam was home for a few days and staying with us.  Sam didn't get in until late in the evening so I spent about an hour with them then headed off to bed.

I was laying in bed, reading my book, half dozing, when I suddenly felt that I was being hugged to a female bosom in a comforting sort of way with my hair being stroked.

My cold little bean counting shriveled up heart was pounding and it scared the shit out of me.

I told Beth about this, and she was completely nonchalant and told me I'd see the ghost pretty soon.

I think I'm going to name her Hazel.

Edited to add: The first thing our brave soldier asked after we told him about this was, "That wasn't in the room I was sleeping in, was it?"

Christmas Cards

When I was married to the last ex and he worked in politics, Christmas cards were a Very Big Deal.  Ideally, the front of the card would feature a holiday themed picture of your white bread matching holiday sweater wearing family, posed in August or so, in front of something Christmas-like while you were sweating your ass off in that holiday sweater.  If you could throw in a holiday looking dog (bow on top of head of perky Beagle, ribbon around neck of sleeping golden retriever, you get the idea), that was just exceptional.

I used to mail out some 200 of these a year.  All hand-written by me in calligraphy with hand-written return addresses.  I wish I had one to scan and post because they were hilarious.  I don't have any because we always ran out, every year. 

I posed for more than one of these pictures throughout my life.

I had sent out Christmas cards before marrying The Best Republican Ever and liked to get fancy cards.  I sent about 20 a year. About a box and a half.  I did calligraphy (which I am strictly an amateur at) but I liked doing it.  It hadn't become a chore, like the political Christmas cards had.

I remember getting one of those cards and the nice Republican family pictured had  managed to dress up an otherwise fairly innocent two foot tall stuffed red white and blue elephant in Santa clothes, complete with Santa hat.  At the time, I thought, "Wow, that's really cute."  Now, I would look at that and think, "Wow, that's so sick and wrong on so many levels."

Anyway.  I'm sending Christmas cards this year.  If you would like one, send me your address and I'll send you one.  You have to send me one, though, as well.  Send me your address at [email protected].  Please don't post it in the comment section.

Grown-Up

I had this idea in my head that when I turned 40, I would finally feel like I was all grown up.  That my career would be settled, I'd start buying Mommy jeans and highlight my hair and drink lots of Diet Coke and I'd just stop listening to the Cure or the Violent Femmes really loudly in the car and singing along and I'd somehow magically become this grown-up middle aged person.

I am middle-aged, I have the grey hair to prove it, but in my head, I still think I'm a kid.  I'm still in contact with some girlfriends I've known since I was a very little girl, Kristi and Kelly, known them since kindergarten.  I still have our kindergarten class picture with Mrs. Clark on it. 

I'm still close to friends from middle school, freshman year of high school, Darr and Sarah and Tammy.  I still often think of us as 14, 15, 16 year old gawky teen-agers.  Could we have imagined then that we would all be mothers now, with the full spectrum of age in the kids?   I wish we all lived closer so our kids could see each other often.  I wonder if they would all turn out to be friends as well?

Recently, I ran into an old male friend from middle school and we've been hanging out a bit.  He and Martin get along really well and it's strange to think, he was a guy I've known since 7th grade. 

I don't think of any of my friends as grown-ups, either, although they are.

I forget that I am 40 and middle-aged and I can't eat just anything at any time without suffering consequences.  I eat a McDonald's bacon egg and cheese biscuit nearly every weekday morning and I used to bring my work friend Andrew a sausage egg and cheese biscuit when they were sending me free coupons.  Andrew made me stop getting on for him, free or not, because he said I was trying to kill him.  He also tells me that if I keep eating microwave lunches, like Stouffer's and Marie Callendar, I'm going to die early.   I tell him that I'm going to live forever and all the preservatives keep me looking young.  NOTE: I gave up on the Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice.  They may be low in fat but they stuffed full of other crap, tons of sodium for instance.  They may as well taste good and the Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice were both crap as far as taste.

Getting heartburn is something I used to scoff at.  Someone would tell me, "Oh, I can't eat that!  Heartburn."  I'd think, "Ah, you big wuss."  Not anymore.  No more guacamole with kamikazes.   No more Taco Bell.  No more pop.  I really don't miss pop. 

I forget that my body is not as strong and I'm not as fit as I used to be.  I don't have boundless energy like I used to, although I do still have the overall attention span of a smart dog. 

I also have friends who are older than I am.  I don't think of them as middle-aged, either.  They range in age from a couple years older than me to a couple decades and I think they are all fantastic women.  My sister is 14 years older than I am and I think she is one of the most beautiful people I know, both inside and out.  (Love you, Sandi, what are you two doing for Thanksgiving?)

Being grown-up doesn't mean you still can't have some fun, right?

Taking My Turn With The Blogging Baton

One of each of these answers is incorrect.  Can you guess which one?

Name Four Musical Instruments I ave Had Lessons For:

1.) Piano

2.) Guitar

3.) Clarinet

4.) Trombone

Names Of Men I've Dated

1.) Steve T

2.) Steve W

3.) Scott P

4.) Scott J

My Favorite Movies

1.) Apocolypse Now

2.) The Sound Of Music

3.) Silence Of The Lambs

4.) Best In Show

Places I've Lived

1.) Howell, Michigan

2.) Brighton, Michigan

3. Behtlehem, Pennsylvania

4.) Easton, Pennysylvania

Countries I Have Visited

1.) Canada

2.) Jamacia

3.) Bermuda

4.) Tahiti

Bloggers I Have Met In Person

1.) Loretta

2.) Veronica

3.) Sain't Christopher

4.) Lana