View from The Corner Booth
Good Day!
Another week has flown by, since I last wrote. I continue to hear from many of you and I enjoy every note you send along. I'm doing my best to respond to all who write a note other than simply answering the trivia question.
This has turned into a 10-12 hour a week project for me, of which I love. One problem that occurred this past week is that I developed a sore right wrist where the base of my thumb meets the wrist. I guess typing on a Blackberry was never intended to be done for this amount of time each week. I'm putting ice on it and that seems to help. I know what the doctor would say, lay off whatever it is that you are doing to cause the problem. How can I, I can't abandon all my loyal readers! Maybe I could take a week off, not really. I'm sure I will work through it, as I have many other injuries over the years. The worst that could happen is that, I will have to learn to type on my laptop instead of my Blackberry. But then my Blackberry is so handy and it is with me 24/7! It beats any hammer, ripping bar, shovel, rake, calculator, computer or spatula that I have ever owned.
On another note, I had a fabulous lunch and visit with a couple of Dine-ah patrons who have become friends. Bob and Muriel McGuire live in Gorham and I visited them this past Tuesday. We had Muriel's award winning Italian sausage soup, (she received Honorable Mention in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette contest!) whole wheat garlic bread, salad, and sliced strawberries and cream for dessert ~ boy, was it yummy!
Bob and Muriel are one of the sweetest couples I know, often talking at the same time to me during my visit! I think it was because they were excited to have a guest in their home! Lucky for me, they were often saying the same thing just in a slightly different way, so it was easy for me to follow both conversations. It was obvious they had shared all these wonderful experiences that I was learning about. Every once in awhile Muriel would say "Bob, I never heard that" and a little smile would appear on Bob's face. A smile as if to say" I thought I had shared that with you Muriel, but then again maybe not, now that you mention it."
It was so nice to hear how they had met and how they enjoy the outdoors and also the theater. I heard about a cross country trip and how much Muriel enjoyed passing through different states, particularly Idaho, with all the cornfields while a visit to Graceland, Elvis's home in Memphis, was not high on their list. If my memory serves me correctly, their anniversary is on April 1st and something tells me that there have been many pranks that they have played on one another over the years!
As with most of us as we age, Bob has had his share of minor and not so minor health issues, but he is in great shape today. In fact, Bob has a pacemaker that has been turned off and I had never heard of such a thing. They both have changed their diets and have each lost 25 pounds. They both are non smokers and walk daily. Talk about taking responsibility for their own health, these two could be "poster adults" for good health - just made that up! (LOL)
Bob and Muriel made a conscious decision several years ago to leave the Worcester, Massachusetts area with the intention of moving to a more rural and less congested area, where the pace of life wasn't so fast. They settled on Gorham, Maine because of it's close proximity to Portland and have never regretted it. Their home is primarily on one floor with all of the amenities on the same ground floor level, with maybe one or two steps. They have added grab rails in the bathroom as suggested by their daughter who is an occupational therapist. Planning has always been a big part of their lives and still is today.
They have plans to sell their summer cottage on Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson, which by the way is how they stumbled onto the Dine-ah. They drove by one day and Muriel said "Bob, some egg foo young (not sure that was the actual dish, but close enough) would taste really good" so they pulled in. Lo and behold, it wasn't a Chinese restaurant but they fell in love with us anyway!
Bob and Muriel have decided that the cottage is too much work at this point in their lives for the amount of time they spend on the lake. Once again, their planning skills come into play! On a side note, I asked Muriel and Bob if they knew the Johnston family of Jefferson and boy, did they light up! The Johnston's are a wonderful family and Muriel, Bob and myself all have deep personal connections with them.
In closing, I'd like to emphasize how beautiful it is to see Bob and Muriel plan for their future as they age so gracefully. I'm so proud to call them friends and I wish them all the best. And yes, I will return sometime for another bowl of Italian sausage soup! Thanks again Bob and Muriel for your friendship and hospitality.
And to all of you, thanks for making this all possible.
'Til next week,
Normp.s. Stay tuned for our upcoming specials menu items and hours for the following special days:St. Patty's Day - Saturday March 17th - Regular Hours - 7 am to 9 pm
Easter Sunday April 8th - 7 am to 6 pm (seating right up 'til closing!)
Mother's Day Sunday May 13 - 7 am to 7 pm
Father's Day Sunday June 17 - Regular hours - 7 am to 3 pm
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