SCARLET LADIES

I think you all know what comes to mind when we hear the words Scarlet Ladies. I envision the ladies of the old Western saloons all dressed in fancy red dresses. The ladies who tried their best to keep all the men "happy". Well this isn't about them. This is about twenty elderly women prancing around in fancy red hats and purple attire. These twenty are part of nearly 2 million in thousands of similar groups around the world.

Back in 1998 I think there was a little Asian business man sitting in his warehouse, hands clutching his temples wondering "what the hell am I going to do with this red hat overrun". Well I think he got a hold of Sue Ellen Cooper and said "please help me empty this warehouse". Well, she certainly did. She along with some friends started this movement which has expanded to epic proportions. This Scarlet Lady group is led by my wife, the "Queen Mum". They try to get together monthly for nothing more than fun, no business stuff, only lunches, museum trips , tours, plays. Great idea as far as I'm concerned. I'm really thinking of forming a "Blue Cap Society". Men only, wearing blue baseball caps and going to places like bars, hooters, and ballgames.
Well, anyway, each member of the Scarlet Ladies is in charge of planning one of the monthly outings. My wife for some reason has decided that once a year I should become an honorary Red Hatter and hold a picnic as her monthly contribution. I've done this for the past three years and have had our Grandaughters act as waitresses.

The ladies have been treated to Pork Tenderloin, Filet Mignon, and Chicken lunches these past three years, and I must say, although being hard work, it's been fun for me.

Man, it's probably the wine I serve, but I've become quite the hero with these ladies. Why, oh why, couldn't I have been this popular with women when I was young and available.

Seriously, I give these Red Hat groups a lot of credit. No sitting around in a rocking chair knitting sweaters for them. No way, they're out there enjoying themselves and doing things they never had time for before. "My Blue Cap off to you Ladies".

The Gentleman Farmer

No, that's not a snake in my hand, it's a string bean. Last year a friend and neighbor brought over a handful of these beans for me to try. They turned out to be delicious. It turns out that these things are called "Chinese Long Beans" and they grow from 14" to 30" inches long. One day he came over and gave me a small bag of beans from his previous crop. Couldn't figure out what I was going to do with them , but we do have a long 52' wall behind our pool which has been decorated each year with pots of geraniums. The pots rest on soil between the wall and our fence. Good place to plant the beans and let them climb on strings attached to the fence. Then I got a real wild idea, dump the flowers and plant vegetables in the pots.

Well off to Walmart I went, bought cherry tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, peppers, and butternut squash. Never gave any thought to the fact that I had to water the hell out of the pots that dry out every other day. Then my brother tells me I have to fertilize them all summer. I suddenly realized that I was turning into a farmer. ........I like the term "Gentleman Farmer."
Any way the venture is proving to be very rewarding. Each night we've been enjoying salads with our own cherry and yellow tomatoes, peppers and have accompanied our meals with those big long string beans.

I've got five of these big Butternut Squash beauties growing on a 24' vine spreading out from just one little pot....can't believe it. It's been an interesting experience, this "farm" of ours. I stroll around the pool to inspect in the morning and evening to see if the chipmunks have left me any ripe cherry tomatoes for my daily picking. The little bastards are eating well this year. I've been joking with my family that if this pot garden starts producing any more I'm going to build a little stand in front of the house and recoup my investment.

This morning I received an email from my brother reminding me that I complain too much about leading an "old fart's" dull life. He's taken on the task of spicing up my life. This past month he talked me into going to an outdoor concert (Beatles Tribute) in Simsbury. Had a great time especially with the good company, wine and Kentucky Fried Chicken. He's also talked me into blowing the moth balls out of my wallet and buying tickets to a Michael Buble concert in December. Sorry about all those complaining posts Pete, I guess with a little outside help I can still be rejuvenated.

Fruit of the Vine

My nephew and his wife were up from Maryland to show the family their new addition, a beautiful baby daughter, Julia Elizabeth. While we were catching up on things he told me that he was tired of still seeing “The Bucket List” on my Blog site. I told him that entries for me are not as easy as they are for other members of the family. They have so many things to write about, new kids, new jobs, home remodeling, trips, you name it. While I on the other hand have been type caste as a bitcher, moaner and overall grouchy old fart. The only time I get inspired is when I’ve got something that annoys me to the extent that I feel it needs to be shared with the world.

Well, I started to think about this and decided that I do have stuff going on , maybe not super exciting, but if you people are crazy enough to read my stuff I’m going to start telling you what’s going on. For example, we’ve started to make our pilgrimage to all the Connecticut wineries. Over the past few years the Connecticut wineries, all nineteen of them and growing, have what they are calling “A Passport Program”. At the first winery you visit, you pick up a passport and get it stamped at the winery. You then must get your book stamped at a total of fourteen wineries. In late October, you turn in your passport at the last winery you visit. The wineries then hold a drawing for various prizes which, in the past, have included trips to Germany, Spain, California, and Canada along with other prizes. Don’t really expect win anything but our wine tasting trips have been very enjoyable. We travel with another couple and usually visit three of them with a picnic lunch in between. At the visits we taste five or six of their wines, and buy a bottle or two to replenish the wine cooler which shows a great deal of winter depletion. The trip usually takes us thru many small picturesque Connecticut towns. We cap off the day with dinner at a restaurant on our way home. Kind of a senior type of day, don’t you think?

Played golf today in the old guy’s nine hole league and decided that I still don’t understand many things about the game. For the past few years I have driven the ball quite well, not super long but straight. Don’t lose balls anymore. Today, I couldn’t buy a decent tee shot, but ended up shooting 40 with the absolute best putting round of my life. How does this happen? Played this past Sunday and couldn’t make any. Today, I couldn’t miss ……made a bunch and even came close on the chips and long putts that you don’t ever expect to make…..strange game, kissed my putter several times and decided I was taking it to bed with me tonight and continue my love affair.

Getting late so I’ll wrap this up, but still have an entry coming up in a few days on how I became a “Gentleman Farmer”.