Burlington County Community Agricultural Center

     Thanks to my friends Claudia and Diane for cluing me in on the farmer's market.  Mike and I made our first visit on Saturday.  Here's how it went:

The Burlington County Community Agricultural Center and Farmer's Market is located at 500 Centerton Road in Moorestown, New Jersey.  http://www.burlcoagcenter.com/farmers-market/

This farm was owned by the Winner family and operated as a dairy farm.  The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders purchased the farm in 2005.  http://www.burlcoagcenter.com/about-the-farm/  

Local farmers sell fresh produce and honey.  Other food vendors sell baked goods, cheese, and coffee.  http://www.burlcoagcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014-Vendor-List-Flyer.pdf

Yummy!

There is live music each week.  This is Caveman Dave.  Check out his website: http://cavemandave.bandcamp.com/releases
I liked his rendition of the Fifth Dimension's "Age of Aquarius."  He sang, "age of asparagus."  How apropos.  Dave will perform again on August 23rd and September 25th.

Be sure to stop at Stormwind Alpacas' table. 

I got these adorable finger puppets from Stormwind Alpacas.

The farm is a working farm.  Ken and Charline Carlisle lease some of the land and buildings.  One of their endeavors is raising sheep.  http://www.littlehoovesromneys.com/index.asp

So, you want to be a farmer?  Try a community garden.  There are 60 plots available.  You can get the application here: http://www.burlcoagcenter.com/programs/community-gardens/

Each plot has water.

Mike bought me some flowers from Durr's Florist.

Find Your Song, Eva

     I wrote about my friend, Eva Priestley, and her first book titled A Girl Named Eva on 3/21/12 and again on 9/14/12.  Eva has just completed her second book, Find Your Song, Eva.  The 16-year-old German girl is now a 22-year-old woman who has just married her American soldier.  Find Your Song, Eva is a story about transformation.  Eva didn't just accept and adapt to her new life in the States.  Though she was depressed at first, her depression was a cocoon from which she emerged a new creature.  Read about the metamorphosis in her Kindle e-book available at Amazon.com.  The paper version will be available soon.
http://www.amazon.com/Find-Your-Song-Eva-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00KACKYKO

Wait Staff Gimmicks

     I don't smoke, take drugs, or gamble.  In recent years I've all but stopped going to the movies. The two of us can see a flick on FiOS for $4.99, or we can get an entire TV series from the library for free.  My discretionary income is spent on going out for meals.  I've been hooked on eating out since my Patty's and Tumulty's Pub days in college.
     If you are going to dine out, you have to tip the server.  Over the years, I have observed a number of gimmicks that wait staff employ, probably to increase that tip.  A really long time ago, probably in the 70's, there was a waiter at the Burlington Diner (now Amy's Omelette House) who never wrote down orders.  He also never repeated your order back to you.  No matter how big the party or how complicated their orders, he never made a mistake.  People theorized that he had a tape recorder in his apron pocket.  I sort of doubt that since the cassette tape, the latest technology in the 1970's, would have required a recording machine big enough to be obvious in an apron pocket.  Even in the 1980's when tape recorders were reduced to a size not much bigger than the cassette itself (think Sony Walkman), I doubt that waiter was taping his customers.  I think he was a guy with an exceptional memory who was smart enough put on a little floor show and collect big tips.
     Maybe it was during the late 1990's that I encountered a waiter who responded to everything anyone said with, "Thank you."
     Him:  "Thank you.  What would you like for dinner tonight?  Thank you"
     Me: "I'll have the chicken breast with rice pilaf."
     Him: "Thank you.  What dressing on your salad?  Thank you."
     Me:  "French dressing (was I supposed to add please or thank you?)."
     Him: "Thank you.  And you sir?  Thank you"
     I thought it was a bizarre encounter, and, if I had been in charge of calculating that tip, I would not have added an extra percentage.
     In the early 2000's I encountered a waiter who squatted next to the table to take my order. Maybe he wanted to be at eye level with his customers.  Maybe towering above someone is dominant and squatting makes us all chummy.  For a fleeting moment, I thought the guy was groveling, and I wanted him to stop.  I would rather he pulled up a chair.
     These days I occasionally encounter someone who can remember a table full of meal requests.  Lots of waitresses draw smiley faces on the back of my checks.  I also hear, "You got it." and "Excellent choice."  I can tolerate you got it, but excellent choice rubs me the wrong way.  Does the server who says excellent choice ever say, "That choice sucks.  Order something else."?
     All gimmicks aside, I can tell you what really makes me shell out some extra green - extra special service.  I love the dipping oil at Bone Fish.  I mentioned this to one waitress, and she brought a bag to the table loaded with bread and two containers of dip.  I told a waiter at Flemings that I was freezing.  He actually turned off the vent over our table.  Many a wait person has told me they would reduce the AC, but never had one really done it.  Both of these servers wrote down my order, remained standing, and didn't tell me I had it, but they earned themselves an extra big tip.              

Kindle, Kindle Burning Bright

       When all it does is rain and there's nothing on TV but reruns, that's a good time to read.  When you haven't exerted yourself all day because you were lounging around reading, you might have trouble dropping off to sleep at night.  That's also a good time to read.  Ah, heck, it's always a good time to read.  When you have a Kindle in your purse or back pocket, you can take advantage of all those little opportunities to plow through a few more pages - waiting at the dentist's office, standing in a really long line at the store, or chillin' at the DMV.
     Here are the mini-reviews of my latest reads -

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell -  A book about the adaptive unconscious; how we make decisions, pass judgement, and read what other people's minds are thinking based on very little information.  Going with your first impression works most of the time, but take heed as the author explains some of the times that going on autopilot lead to disastrous consequences.

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures also by Malcolm Gladwell -  A collection of Gladwell's articles written for The New Yorker.  My favorite was the one about Ron Popeil.

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson -  Who's crazier at the institute?  The patients or their doctors?  Is someone sane, crazy, or just a little eccentric?  What about conspiracy theorists and Scientologists?  Jon Ronson also wrote The Men Who Stare at Goats.  

When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris -  This is the third book by Sedaris that I have read.  I just love what he has to say.  The book gets its title from Sedaris' successful last attempt to quit smoking.

The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin -  Nelly Ternan was Dickens' mistress.  Their lives and times are interesting, but what I found most thought provoking was all the lying, denial, revisionist thinking, and anguish.

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss -  A book about Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the bi-racial French General who served during the French Revolution.  This book was a slow read.  I gave up about half way through.

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern - Funny stuff.  Halpern started a Twitter feed to record his father's off colored pearls of wisdom.  It caught on and became a book.  It was also the basis for a TV show starring William Shatner.

Everything is Perfect When You Are a Liar by Kelly Oxford - A collection of the many lies told by this Canadian housewife.  She used her lies, her sense of humor, her writing skills, and (you guessed it) Twitter to become a success in Hollywood.

Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo - Richard Russo is a writer and a teacher.  One of his other books, Nobody's Fool, was made into a movie starring Paul Newman.  Elsewhere is about Russo's relationship with his obsessive-compulsive mother.  Richard Russo might be the world's best son, and his wife is deserving of sainthood.

     I read just one work of fiction, The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon, the fourteenth installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series written by Alexander McCall Smith.  It was as delightful as the other thirteen books in the series.

          

Bears in Hainesport

     The bear citings in Evesham, Mount Laurel, Hainesport, and Westampton were documented in the Courier Post Online, the Burlington County Times, and by CBS News.  Our ursine friend passed through Hainesport yesterday.  My favorite shot was the one of him (or her) heading for Rita's on Burlington-Mount Holly Road in Westampton.  Who wouldn't want any icy treat on a 90 degree day?
   

This pic is all over Facebook.  Who took it?

   
     Humans love bears.  The three bears, Winnie-the-Pooh, Berenstain Bears, Corduroy, Paddington Bear, Yogi and Boo-Boo.  Teddy bears are probably the most popular stuffed animal.  I still have my Teddy, a gift received for my first Christmas.  Ted is blind, his plastic eyes cracked and broke away from their metal base a long time ago.  He started coming apart at the seams back in the 70's.  I stitched him up and gave him a good scrubbing with carpet shampoo.  He doesn't ask for much, just to have the dust vacummed out of his nap from time to time.  Once, I entered his picture in a contest hoping he would be chosen for a teddy bear calendar.  Unfortunately, he didn't make the cut.  When I go to the nursing home, I want Teddy to go with me.  I hope Ted manages to stay out of the trash and goes on for a long time after I'm gone.

Lookin' good for a bear entering his seventh decade.

          Want to read an adult book about a teddy bear?  Get hold of Winkie by Clifford Chase.  What happened to Winkie was no teddy bear's picnic.

        
 
   

Paul's Tree Service

          When the vacation is over, it's time to get back to housework and yard work.  After a session of planting, I looked up and found that the sassafras tree under which I had just installed $85.00 worth of flowers and shrubs, was dead.  It would have to come out, and as long as I was at it, the oak tree next to it should have a huge limb removed.  Who to call?
     The usual way to find a contractor is to get referrals from friends, to look in telephone directories, or to search the internet.  I decided to use the internet to find local tree services.  After finding a few companies, I used the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs web site to verify that each business was properly licensed.  Here's the link for doing that:  https://newjersey.mylicense.com/verification/Search.aspx?facility=Y  The last thing I did was to check the New Jersey Better Business Bureau website.  Here's that link:  http://www.bbb.org/new-jersey/
     My due diligence lead me to Paul's Tree Service which is located in Delran, NJ.  Their license as a home improvement contractor is current.  They have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.  The last thing I needed to do was get proof of insurance which their agent promptly provided.
     The team from Paul's showed up on time.  They did the job without damaging any of my precious plants, and they cleaned up after themselves.  Happy in Hainesport heartily recommends Paul's Tree Service.

They used a climber so that they wouldn't have to drive a bucket truck over the lawn.

They used ropes to guide the limbs down and place them softly on the ground - no thumping and house shaking.

That's a brave guy.

They even kept this little piece of equipment off the grass.

Team work.

A job well done.
http://www.paulstreeservices.com/index.html

   
   

Arènes de Lutèce

     The Arènes de Lutèces are the remains of a Gallo-Roman amphitheater which was built in the first century A.D.  It is located in the Latin Quarter, an area on the left bank of the Seine River, in the fifth and sixth arrondissements.  This arena could hold 15,000 people.  The amphitheater was sacked by barbarians in 280 A.D.  Later some of the stones were carted off to be used in other building projects.  Around 1210, the arena was filled in.  It was discovered in 1883 and restored by 1918.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ar%C3%A8nes_de_Lut%C3%A8ce

The entrance.

People kick soccer balls around or play games of pétanque (aka boules or bocce ball).

The ancient wall as seen from the street.  The arena is located at 47 rue Monge.

The passage to the inside.

An arched entry.

One side is shared with modern buildings.

Catacombs of Paris

     The Catacombs of Paris are underground ossuaries.  By the late 1700's the cemeteries inside Paris were so full that graves were mounded up more than six feet higher than the normal ground level outside the graveyards.  They dug up old graves and piled up bones, but the bone piles got too big.  In one instance, a church wall collapsed from the weight of the bone pile pressing against it.  By the end of the 1700's, three cemeteries were established outside of the city and burials inside the city were outlawed.  Since the ground under portions of the city were full of tunnels from abandoned stone mines, the old cemeteries were cleaned out and the bones were deposited underground.  The process was not orderly at first, but by 1810 Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury ordered that bones be stacked to form patterns.  He also added decorations and tablets bearing inscriptions.  The result was a curiosity that drew visitors.  Visiting was limited to several times per year.  The catacombs closed from 1833-1850 because the church objected to sacred human remains being on public display.  In 1850, the government began allowing monthly visits, then weekly visits.  Today, you can visit the catacombs daily, Tuesday through Sunday.  Six million bodies lie in the catacombs.  There are about 200 miles of tunnels, but only a small portion is open to the public.

The entrance.  The inscription says, "Stop! Here is the empire of the dead."  The catacomb entrance is 130 steps below ground.  You have to climb 83 steps to get out.  

Femurs and skulls are stacked in artistic patterns.

The best I can do translating this:
Thus all that passes on the earth
Spirit, beauty, grace, talent
Is like an ephemeral flower
Tumbled by the smallest wind.

Putting our heads together.

This is the central pillar in a round room.

      In addition to the bones, there are fossil exhibits and stone mining exhibits.  You should wear a jacket because it's cold down in the ground.  It is also a little wet and drippy in some spots.
    I just couldn't resist:

Shopping in Paris

     We didn't bring much back from Paris, but we certainly did a lot of shopping with our eyes.  I can't call it window shopping because, in many cases, there weren't any windows to separate us from the goods for sale.  Shops set up displays on the sidewalk, and many business operate in the open air.  Though we stayed near the Bastille Market, we missed going there when it was open on Thursday and Sunday mornings.  We also missed the famous flower market located on the Ile de la Cite.
     Since we were in Paris at Easter time, we enjoyed the candy store windows.  Their Easter candy should be called art rather than confection.  The produce stands offered perfect strawberries, raspberries, and white asparagus.  The bucheries (butcher shops) sold chickens with the feet still attached and deep fried rabbits (head included).  Crabs lay on beds of ice in a state of suspended animation.  They seemed to know just when to move to give the tourists a fright.

Post cards are the cheapest souvenirs.

We "shopped" at a few dealerships on the Champs Elysees.  Mike took one look at this go-kart and decided it had to be a "Henwood."

Models were for sale.  This is a model of a Renault vehicle called the Twizy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Twizy

Mike among the scarves.  You can't get out of France without buying a scarf.

Street venders near the entrance of the Paris Flea Market.

We spent a morning at the flea market outside Paris in Porte de Clignancourt.  The official name of the market is Le Puces de Sainte-Ouen, but it is known to everyone as Les Puces (The Fleas).  It's an area of winding passageways with lots of shops.  Prices are outrageously high.  Though this attraction was billed as a "must see" in the guidebooks, we could have skipped it.  This mural was cool, though.   

The best part of our visit to Les Puces was lunch at Chez Louisette.  Front and center is my plate of ham and potato salad.

Chez Louisette always has live entertainment.  This lovely lady sang like an angel.  She sang an Edith Piaf song for my cousin.  She also sang Donna Summer's "Last Dance" in English.

They say the French don't wear sneakers.  Actually, young people wear them - in as many colors as possible.
At 28 € ($39.20), these bobos are pretty pricey.

I thought my beading friends would enjoy these works of art.  As best I could tell, this jewelry was made combining bead with tatting, a craft for making lace.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatting