Crankcase

Two bags of jelly beans, a ten-year old and a Tilt-A-Whirl.

Cripes, it's COLD! Not that I mind (winter is the season for me, and today's weather only reminds me of what's coming soon) but this constant cycling of warm and cold weather is driving me nuts. It's like God's kids keep squabbling over what temperature to leave the thermostat set to. One minute you're wearing t-shirts and making plans to fire up the grill, the next you're digging out your wool coat and leaving the unraked leaves to the hands of fate. They'll be under snow soon enough anyhow. Pass the schnapps and the remote.

But there are benefits to this weather, not the least of which is apples. The Missus and I took a short ride out to Eastmont Orchards this Past Sunday for our annual apple picking weekend. We don't always end up at the same orchard, but we try to pick apples every year. This was our first run to Eastmont and probably not the last. If you get the chance to go picking, do it. First off, apples from the tree taste worlds better than anything you'll find in the produce section. Even ones you might know (Golden Delicious, Fuji, Rome) taste like a completely different beast than what you get in the store. And new types, too. I just finished a Arkansas Black while typing this (I never heard of it either). Skin as dark as a plum, crunch like you're snapping a tree in half, and just the perfect blend of sugar sweetness, wine-like dryness, and a little lemony tang. Definitely going back for more of these. We only grabbed a sample bag of the new ones and then loaded a full bag of Winesaps (the Missus' favorite and becoming one of mine, too). Twenty two pounds of apples for a little under twenty bucks. Plus one Arkansas Black in my coat pocket for a sample back in the car. Yes, I know I'm going to Hell for stealing, but just about everyone else there was sampling the goods and not even so much as a scowl from the staff for it.

SOCIAL NIGHT! SOCIAL NIGHT! We were never much of the bar scene type when we were single, so this makes tonight extra special. The place is called Harry's Roadhouse in Asbury Park. The band tonight: DeSol. If Carlos Santana started a garage band, this would be it. Equal parts solid rock, latin snap and very catchy lyrics (even if most of them are in Spanish). Junior at work has already seen them and is hawking them like a concert promoter. Granted, their drummer used to work here, so that doesn't hurt people's desire to go. If everyone he invited shows up, we should have the place to ourselves. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Now to head home for some dinner and a quick nap.

posted by: Jiggsy at 10/23/03 16:41 | link | comments |

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