Waffle House in Frederick Maryland

It’s been almost a month since our last visit to the Waffle House. Only that trip was in Lynchburg Virginia the day after Christmas with our grandson. The hash browns are so good! They remind us of George Webb hash browns in the Midwest. The closest Waffle House to us is in Frederick Maryland. We stopped there once a long time ago on our way back to Wisconsin before we moved to DC twelve years ago.  Having been cooped up here in the house over the last couple of weeks was a great reason to take an hour ride for breakfast. Aside from that, we were hoping to check out some reupholster shops and get an estimate for a recliner in need of a makeover. It was a nice ride to our destination and the service and food was great. I got the bowl of hash browns, scrambled eggs, sausage and cheese. My husband got a waffle and more hash browns. It’s not the kind of thing we would want to eat every day, but every once in awhile is worth it. Maybe the next time we will have to try the othe Waffle House in town. I wonder when that will be?

SOLD! In One Day

Real estate is crazy around here. Our son and his family sold their Capitol Hill townhouse in one day - to people who lived across the street. It’s like homes are tracked very closely like vultures looking for prey. It really doesn’t matter what season it is either. Whenever a condo in our building is on the market it is scooped up within the month, but oftentimes within a week. So it wasn’t surprising to see the hoards of potential buyers coming through during the open house two days ago to see a unit on our floor that was just listed. It was non stop traffic. I always watch the listings and turnover on Capitol Hill, and have an even greater interest in our building in the event we ever decide to move. It gives us an idea on pricing and interest. Where there were several links to the property on the internet on Sunday, only two remained yesterday and one of them said the property was no longer listed. I knew it had already sold. So today when I checked on the status it said contract pending. I think the asking price was well below what it could have been, but we are not surprised that it sold in a day. I’m just hoping we get some quiet neighbors. Another unit is going up for sale in the very near future. Both of these vacancies were related to the owners moving to other states. I have a feeling the other one will sell just as quick! 

StorageManiac Tabletop Ironing Board

In the Midwest we had a really nice mud room where all the household storage items and washer/dryer were located. In the large closet we kept the ironing board. When we needed it, there was plenty of room to set it up. We even had a tiny tv in there suspended from the cabinet to make the task more amusing. When we moved to DC twelve years ago, we had no room for anything like this in our 500 square foot condo. So we had a foldable tiny board that we kept on the top shelf of the very small closet that also houses the LG combination washer/dryer. We don’t use the ironing board much - especially since I retired two years ago. But for whatever reason, we can’t seem to locate it. Somehow it disappeared shortly after our bathroom renovation last summer. So we checked around on Amazon and found a StorageManiac table top ironing board with foldable legs. It’s much nicer, wider, padded, and covered - made in China - of course. I’m not sure why we used what we had because it was not any good. Now I’m not quite sure if we will ever need to use this one. But in the event of anything wrinkled, we will be prepared! 

Bulliant Trim to Fit Men’s Belt

When my husband says he needs an article of clothing, it is usually well past the life expectancy. And such was the case for the belt that he wears around the house. It looked like something that belonged in a museum. So I did what everyone else does - went on Amazon and searched for a trim to fit belt. I think I used to have something like that many years ago. It’s nice because you not only cut the length to fit your current proportions, but it is also on a slider buckle that doesn’t have specific belt holes. So, you can loosen and tighten it up at any time. There were several colors to pick from and three generic lengths. We selected the midrange size and were interested to see how well this thing would work. The belt arrived last week - made in China - of course! On the back of the belt are marked the standard belt sizes. We trimmed it to 38 and tucked it back in to the buckle slot and closed the clasp. So far it seems to be working nicely. We may need to cut it back another inch. The idea sounds good and for something to use around the house it couldn’t be better. On the day it arrived we received an email from the Bullient vendor checking up on the status of the belt. It’s just so much easier to get things on line - especially when it doesn’t require a specific size. 

Comcast Phone Issues

We switched our desk phone over to Comcast from Verizon to eliminate a monthly expense and also decrease our Comcast bill overall by bundling all of the services - internet, tv, phone. I suppose it was a good idea, but because the phone isn’t a land line, it doesn’t work as well. We primarily need to use the device as a door bell, but it was good in the event the internet was down and cell phones were ineffective. However, over the last month, every time we get or make a phone call using this phone line, it is dropped after about five minutes. This gets quite annoying. So I finally decided to call Comcast and report our issue. I already checked the phone status using my app. To make a long story short and after two modem reboots and an hour and a half later, the phone at least rings - it stopped ringing midway through. But now the app that also rings when the phone dies stopped working even after deleting and reinstalling it. We don’t really know if the calls still drop because we haven’t received any, although at one point my husband was trying to test it by holding one phone in each ear and talking to himself. But that experiment was aborted! The last thing I want is a technician to visit, or have to get new equipment. So as long as I can check on the phone log and see any voice messages I suppose we can live with it. All I know is I hate having to troubleshoot any of this junk because it takes so long. And it’s more annoying when it’s not totally fixed. 

Blue Skies and Spring Ahead

It was a brilliant sunny day with beautiful cloudless blue skies - a nice change except for the cool temperatures. But without the wind it made for a wonderful walk this morning on the Mall. Everything looked crisp and clean. The crowds and buses around the air and space museum were unusually large for January. Maybe because there is an extensive renovation planned over the next few years - people want to see the place before it closes. What was most lovely to stumble upon was the unexpected surprise of little bulb flowers in bloom in the southern exposure of the Sackler museum gardens. They looked even more gorgeous considering the month and season we are in! So the count down is now on for spring and there is evidence to prove it. Against the blue skies were so many of the city’s monuments and landmarks standing out stunningly against the backdrop. Needless to say it was a lovely walk overall and one of the reasons we like living in this neighborhood. The Midwest suffers from winter just about all year. Here, there are really four seasons. 

Travel John Disposable Urinal

It’s not exactly an appetizing subject. When we are on the road, we always make it a point to stop routinely at the rest stop or the restroom at the gas station. And luckily after all these years, we have never had an accident! Even when we traveled in Iran we stopped frequently - only because our tour guide needed to! But I never lose an opportunity to stop at a restroom even if I really don’t need to go. So before we took our cross country road trip last year to the Pacific Northwest and back to DC, I searched for traveling options in the event we really got stuck somewhere with no facilities in sight. Having been through Utah with no services or internet for very long stretches two years ago, it was worth the time to see what was out there. And there it was - travel John emergency toilet and urinal, plus throw in a couple of disposable seat covers for the ghastly places! Luckily we have not needed to use any of these items, but feel a lot more comfortable knowing that they are in the car and readily available. Now, we can move on to the next subject! 

Ted’s Bulletin

It used to be Ma Fishers in Milwaukee. Since we moved to DC from the Midwest we have peculiar habits that have endured. Having breakfast on Saturday mornings is something we like to do. To keep up that tradition, we go to McLean Family Restaurant in Virginia. But sometimes during the week, we like to stop somewhere in the neighborhood after a morning walk for a bite out. Pete’s has been the place to go to for that. They know us so well we don’t even have to order, and we always get a bottle of wine for Christmas every year. Over the last month or two we have occasionally stopped at Ted’s Bulletin in Barracks Row. We went there a couple of times when we first moved here, then stopped. It was always very busy and the food was just okay. The ambiance is trendy - with a 1940-50’s backdrop. It has a soda fountain and old movies playing in the background. And the food is all about diner food. Our timing is perfect now because it is right after breakfast and just before lunch. I think I’ve tried just about every breakfast item on the menu that I like. My husband always gets French toast - not my favorite - especially when it’s soggy. So we went today and found it “fair.” The food was just ok today. I’m not sure when we will return. We do things in cycles...and this may be another one. 

Squirrels and Birds and...

I should have majored in something related to animals and birds. I can sit for hours just watching them do whatever they do - from the tiniest firefly to the everyday squirrel to my favorite cardinal pairs. Most of these critters I can find on our small patio garden. My husband is very patient when it comes to my taking pictures of all of them, but sometimes just doesn’t have the same amount of enthusiasm for the mundane squirrel. He can’t believe it every time I point out a squirrel to him - like, what’s the big deal? But that doesn’t stop me. Of course I notice every dog that passes by too - but for the most part I’m pretty picky about the ones I like. The Capitol police have Guard dogs stationed about and I have finally begun to match the name painted on the side of the squad car with the specific dog. And of course, there are the fish ponds scattered about. I’ve taken notice of the koi and the goldfish too. Maybe one of these days we will get another dog to satisfy my pooch habit. But until then I’ll keep pointing them out to him and taking lots of photos.