Friday, May 24, 2013

Miller Time Friday: Can You See Me? I See You!

Happy Friday!

I believe I have finally finished the retirement parties - thank goodness.  You would think it is a great time to have people say nice things about you and give you presents.  It was, in the beginning.  But by last night, I sort of felt like I was staggering from the weight of it all and the many "so what the heck are you going to do with the rest of your life?" comments.

On the other hand, it was a chance to dress up, so I wore my red Ralph Lauren dress, which is freshly back from being altered and now fits like a glove.  And I took a couple of pictures with my new funky glasses on to show you!


I am wearing the dress with an Elie Tahari blazer which is several years old and the Pliner tortoiseshell slingback wedges I showed you a few weeks ago.

And a close-up of the frames:


Hey I can see you now!

I forgot to take a picture with my new prescription Ray bans - will do that this weekend and post them up.

These have a slightly reddish hue to them and when my daughter and I picked them out she said "you can go funkier, you're unemployed."  Oh from the mouths of babes...

In honour of this party, and I hope the last speech about me until I win some major literary award someday(!), I thought we might make up a batch of The Last Word cocktails.  Rumour has it that Dani's porch is now fully functional for summer, so by all means, feel free to pick up some appetizers en route!

The Last Word
The Last Word cocktail raised.jpg
TypeCocktail
Primary alcohol by volume
ServedStraight up; without ice
Standard drinkware
Cocktail Glass (Martini).svg
Cocktail glass
Commonly used ingredients
PreparationShake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Of course, I had no clue what Chartreuse was (well I knew what the colour Chartreuse was, but you get the picture...).  In case there are any folks out there like me, Wikipedia:


Chartreuse is a French liqueur made by the Carthusian Monks since the 1740s. It is composed of distilled alcohol aged with 130 herbal extracts. The liqueur is named after the Monks' Grande Chartreuse monastery, located in the Chartreuse Mountains in the general region of Grenoble in France. The liqueur is produced in a factory in the nearby town of Voiron (Isère).
Chartreuse gives its name to the color chartreuse. It is one of the handful of liquors that continues to age and improve in the bottle.

Good Lord - so many things in life I do not know!  The motto of the Carthusian monks is Stat crux dum volvitur orbis, Latin for "The Cross is steady while the world is turning."

And I read how remarkably my life is like theirs these days:
There are no Carthusian abbeys as they have no abbots, and each charterhouse is headed by a prior and is populated by choir monks, referred to ashermits, and lay brothers.  Each hermit —  that is, a monk who is or who will be a priest  — has his own living space, called a cell, usually consisting of a small dwelling. Traditionally there is a one-room lower floor for the storage of wood for a stove, a workshop as all monks engage in some manual labour. A second floor consists of a small entryway with an image of the Virgin Mary as a place of prayer, and a larger room containing a bed, a table for eating meals, a desk for study, a choir stall and kneeler for prayer. Each cell has a high walled garden, wherein the monk may meditate as well as grow flowers for himself and/or vegetables for the common good of the community, as a form of physical exercise.

I am intrigued, though highly doubtful, that my local liquor store will have this elixir of the humble hermits.  However I am all in, and if I can find it, well, I will gladly report back.  In the meantime, you will find me in the high walled garden out back, as there is still a LOT of weeding and planting to do!

Have a fabulous Friday and stay safe out there!


35 comments:

  1. Congrats on your retirement and on surviving the parties!

    Small world moment - I was just introduced to Chartreuse last week by a new friend that we made on our trip, who is from Grenoble and had a small bottle with him. It smells like tea! Then, on our way home, we drove through the Chartreuse mountains. We'd driven through that area before, but I hadn't noticed the mountains before.

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    1. Abby - that is so cool! Now I am really intrigued to find this! I think my odds of finding it here are slim, but next time I am in Boston or Montreal, will also check there.

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    2. Oh Chartreuse is revolting, I don't think I could ever bring myself to drink it ever again!

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    3. is there a good story that involves you and a famous author at a bar drinking it?

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  2. Does Dani have a porch to sit out on? Oh that's wonderful, I've only seen it on American movies, it seems so civilised. Love the new specs!

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    1. Tabs I'll have to take better pictures of our porch, it's the perfect place to sit with a drink and watch the world go by. My house is downtown so the people watching is, as FF would say, 11/10.

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    2. I love a front porch - all the newer houses here build decks out the back, but a front porch is a thing of beauty!

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    3. We'll be pouring on our porch overlooking the harbor if the fog lifts. Love the sound of the foghorn. WMM, you can have the seat with the big ottoman.

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    4. are you getting rain, too, Lane? We are in the throes of a major downpour! Was going to do more gardening this afternoon, but too wet even for this duck! Means I get to do housework and then keep going with Portrait of a Lady!

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  3. I've visited old Carthusian sites in France and England. Even empty, even in ruins, the sense of peace, of calm, of purpose, pervades.

    There's green Chartreuse and clear ("white") Chartreuse. On my blog you may have noticed the expression "recipe for a medieval cure for snakebite," usually in reference to a fabric contents label. Chartreuse was the original, and tastes like it, too.

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  4. GREEN WITH ENVY What many of those jesting and joshing colleagues are WMM, wish they had the chops to leave the safety of the nest and head out in the wide blue sky.

    Glasses, dress, shoes +++ DD LOL! My DH said stuff like that to me last fall as well.

    I know I can get chartreuse at my local package stores, only because the second closest one is also the order depot for the whole province. If you strike out, will send/ bring you a dram. To me it's like absinthe, must be tried, won't necessarily be missed, but again, full points for today's cocktail balance. Pining for Dani's porch (I think it needs fairy lights to announce official Miller Time gatherings). Happy Friday to you and yours!

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    1. what about some bunting, too? I do like bunting - am about to order some for the back deck. You know me - I love it all to an "event"!

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  5. The red dress is smashing on you. And the glasses are perfect of course. Your daughter cracks me up. Well in some ways it's nice to have those parties over so the moving on can begin!
    Chartreuse, interesting, though I'll probably never try it.

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    1. There is a whole world of cocktails out there which it appears I have missed!

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  6. Gorgeous red dress and new specs, Wendy!
    Congrats on being properly retired.

    After this week at work I wish I was too.....
    Happily, it's the weekend, and my oldest is turning 12!
    I'll raise a glass to your forthcoming literary award tonight!

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    1. Wow, the last official pre-teenager birthday, definitely worth a toast of accomplishment ruth!

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    2. Ruth - since you start so much earlier than the rest of us, I look forward to hearng how the party goes for the 12 year old!

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  7. Love the dress and specs. As far as the chartreuse it may not fit into the summer budget. There was an article this week in the newspaper about champagne and they featured a signature cocktail created by Moët et Chandon in honor of the new Great Gatsby movie. It features champagne (naturally), chartreuse and a sugar cube. It went on to talk about chartreuse and said it costs about $70 US for 750ml. I think I'd rather have that cute lace skirt!

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    1. Wow, Shopping Celle, I know we can get 375 ml bottles up here for around $30. And I always think liquor is so much less expensive in US.

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    2. well - I was right - none in my liquor store - though I have a friend heading over to the liquor store in Quebec and may have him look for me!

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  8. You look just great in those glasses, not to mention the whole shebang. What a send-off!

    We have college grad for our last this weekend and,unfortunately, the weather sucks. No other word for it,sorry.

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    1. The weather looks wretched all weekend! The only one who seems not to mind is the hummer. Her boyfriend showed up but she is still sitting in the tall tree, watching for more! I am anticipating a hummer party all summer. Yay to the college grad and sighing about her moving on...

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  9. Love the red dress on you Wendy!
    Enjoy your weekend and talk to you next week!!!

    I will have some red wine tonight:)

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  10. Morning WMM - I love your glasses!! That's my favourite style, but unfortunately I have a hard time wearing glasses that don't have nosepads - they keep slipping down my nose!

    Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. Patricia - I am having some "issues" with that, but will persevere, or try to, at least!! You have an awesome weekend, too!

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    2. Maybe you just need to get them adjusted? Sometimes it helps if they adjust the part that goes over your ear.

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  11. You look smashing in your red dress and leopard. The specs are perfect. I cannot wear glasses, the restricted vision, fogging and sweaty nose drives me nuts, sunglasses are another story.
    I want to retire right now...

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    1. Okay - you retire and we will go into business together - sightseeing tours to Poland, anyone?

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  12. Aw, the Wendypalooza is over. :^( I suppose it had to end sometime. Loving the dress and I think the glasses are awesome. I have always wanted glasses. My mother tells me I will have them eventually so I should just be patient and my day will come. LOL. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  13. The lady in red, you look wonderful. Love it, and love it with leopard, my favorite combo! I've always liked the look of glasses but can't stand the feel of them after a few minutes.

    Don't think I've ever tried Chartreuse. The 130 herbal extracts have me intrigued.

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  14. Glad to hear you survived all the parties! The outfit is fabulous. I love the red dress and those glasses - your daughter's comment is hilarious. (My daughter is just about to turn 4 and she already has very decided opinions on my outfits - who know what it will be like when she's a teenager!). Chartreuse sounds very interesting, must try it one day along with absinthe. Happy Friday!

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  15. this article are so intresting that cocktail part i love here so much.
    The ingredients listed (spirits, sugar, water, and bitters) match the ingredients of an Old Fashioned,which originated as a term used by late 19th century bar patrons to distinguish cocktails made the "old-fashioned" way from newer, more complex cocktails.
    Bartender Service in Dehradun



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