Go west young River.

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On a bright and sunny afternoon, we headed west.

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To a small craft brewery called Ambition.

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To be honest I think it was misnamed. Not only was it small, but the barkeeper was more interested in talking with his friends than introducing new customers to his beer. We muddled along on our own, ordered and picked up our own flight…

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And were quite underwhelmed. The only brew that any flavor? Burned your throat too much to drink.

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With this many breweries in our state… we won’t be returning to the ambitionless Ambition.

Tasting complete, we headed across the street to a favorite restaurant.

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Housed in an old shoe factory with an original boiler door that fascinates my husband..

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Calzolaio Pasta Co. never disappoints.

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An apple cider mule with a garlic, chicken, broccoli Alfredo pizza on fresh basil dough for me.

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And a fabulous ravioli special for the husband.

Sautéed shallots & local Macintosh apples finished with baby spinach in a sherry & sage cream sauce over butternut squash & pumpkin filled ravioli.

All the flavors of fall right there!

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Let’s play.

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Just a quick question this week.

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You either love it or hate it. There’s rarely any middle ground.

I am not a fan. My husband is.

I make it for him every once in a while, but have never added it to special holiday meals.

This year we went to a friend’s home for the traditional feast… and while she didn’t cook it, another guest brought one.

So though I wasn’t responsible, technically I have to say yay.

How about you?

Yay or nay to the controversial beans…

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Thankful.

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If I take a global view of life on planet earth this year? There’s a lot to complain about. But looking closer to home … there’s much to be thankful for.

The simple things.

A roof over my head, a cat on my lap, food on my plate and the love of my life to share them with.

Today…

I choose to focus on that.

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As well as the truly yummy Autumn Sangria I make every year to accompany the turkey.

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I’m thankful for that too.

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And yes, I’m also thankful for all of you. The loyal readers and blog friends who continue to make me smile.

Here’s hoping you have a wonderful day full of things to be thankful for.

❤️

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Miscellaneous nonsense.

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A visit to the Salvation Army thrift store is always interesting. You never know what you’ll find.

This furniture set had me scratching my head…

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Rocking dining chairs?

That would make eating spaghetti a hazardous experience.

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Harbinger of doom?

Considering the election results, I’d say he’s a little late.

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We still have one tree with turning leaves.

Just one, everything else is bare.

Our Bradford Pear is always the final holdout of the season and never wants to let go.

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Nature is a beautiful thing.

The husband took me to one of our favorite high end artsy fartsy stores the other day because he likes to gauge my reaction to possible birthday and Christmas gifts. Usually jewelry, sometimes lamps or sculpture.

This time?

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It was benches.

Made from ax handles and pitchforks.

Whaaaaat?

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He was totally enamored.

But for a few thousand dollars each I made sure he knew it was a giant no for me.

🥴

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I am all about the butter board.

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It is said man cannot live on bread alone.

I beg to differ.

We dropped in to one of our favorite restaurants the other day for a quick lunch.

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Royal River Grill House rarely disappoints.

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One cranberry margarita in…

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We enjoyed the views and the virtually empty space.

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It was a beautiful autumn day, everyone must have had outdoor plans.

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A new item had been added to the menu recently and we took full advantage.

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You can have your charcuterie boards filled with meat…

I’m all about the bread and butter.

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With a cup of creamy herbed clam chowder?

Damn near perfect.

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News you can’t use.

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Useless.

Trust me.

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Was there a bra war?

How in the world did I miss that….

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Because nothing screams fun more than knowing the day you’ll drop dead.

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FYI…

A ghost poop is a turd that sinks to the bottom of the toilet and disappears. Heavy is healthy.

You’re welcome.

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Geesh.

Like the original size isn’t frustrating enough?

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I’m going to think out of the box here … and say because she was eaten by a shark.

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30 story sewage must be quite a sight.

When viewed from a long distance that is.

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Well, sh*t….

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Having only had cats as pets for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware the following service was available for dog owners.

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Yes, there’s a company that will come to your house and dispose of Fido’s waste for a fee.

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After seeing this advertisement and having a good chuckle?

I did further research.

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Poopocalypse?

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Kudos to the marketing teams.

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Free belly rubs.

Who doesn’t love that?

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Yes, there really is a company called Doody Calls.

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They even have a truck.

🤣

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Pugs for the win.

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Having driven by this tiny brewery multiple times, the husband and I decided to drop in and try it the other day.

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It’s small, and colorful.

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Even their creative tasty beer is color coded…

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To the colorful flight tray.

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We spent a pleasant 2 hours sampling, drinking and chatting with the owners, a very nice young couple… who happen to live in our town.

They’re beer lovers and dog lovers.

Unfortunately the brewery’s mascot wasn’t there that day.

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But his picture was.

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And I came home with some fun pug inspired swag.

❤️

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And to think it only took 67 days.

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Sixty seven days ago my husband put in our new front door.

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And for sixty seven days I’ve been (none too patiently) waiting for him to finish the job by trimming it with interior moulding.

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Finally!

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It will be nice not to see insulation and ragged edges again.

As usual I assumed the role of quality control and rendered some things unacceptable.

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And though there was a fair amount of grumbling from the installer, it all worked out in the end.

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If sixty six days late.

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Disclaimer – no cats were disturbed during the installation process.

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