A New Year Begins

January 5, 2009

2009 has gotten off to a flying start! Describing everything that has happened in the past few days would take hours. Maybe I should start with the things presently on my mind. I have only 2 chapters left in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It’s such a richly-written book. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it; it’s very descriptive. Of course, I’ve seen the movie so I already know what happens. But reading it is so much richer than just seeing the Hollywood version.

I’ve become fascinated with that whole time frame – the 1920s & 1930s, The Roaring Twenties, the Crash of 1929, the Great Depression. If I could go back in time, that’s where I’d go. I’m fascinated with “the way things used to be.” So I guess my latest diversion is no surprise: collecting antiques. I have so much fun shopping at thrift stores; I never know what I'll find. It’s like a treasure hunt. I always find interesting knicknacks and gadgets. Sometimes I find name-brand china and I’ll look up the stamp on the bottom of the dish, on the internet. Sometimes a piece is worth something. Not hundreds of dollars, but if I buy a cup & saucer for $2.50 and I find it priced for $30 on an antiques website, well, that’s something. That’s a 1200% profit.

Joe’s grandmother has passed down to him many of her knickknacks and collectibles. She collected teacups & saucers, much of it low-key “made in Japan” stuff. But we found a few pieces with the “Haviland” or “Limoges” name. Limoges is a town in France where high-quality porcelain was manufactured in the 1800s and early 1900s. If a piece has the Limoges stamp, most likely it is a piece worth keeping. I should start reading up on antiques and educate myself, and should probably have some of the pieces appraised.

I took Joe to Lin’s Super Buffet at MacArthur and I-40 for a late birthday dinner. He’s a Christmas Eve baby; his birthday is Dec. 24. Going out to eat – or anywhere, for that matter-- on Christmas Eve is just not the most practical plan! So we waited until now. I had wanted to take him to Sushi Neko or Mahogany Steak House or even Yamato Japanese Steak House. But, this new Lin’s Buffet opened up recently and that’s where he wanted to go. Buffet, sushi, & steak -- that’s what he had a hankerin' for, so that’s where we went.

For a birthday dinner, it was just right. Lin's has an outstanding selection, and is one of the better Asian buffets we’ve eaten at. They did have steak, and sushi (which I tried and didn’t care for), octopus, and crawfish. Of course they had chicken and (fake) crab too, along with the usual dishes like Kung Pao Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken and Beef & Broccoli. Their wontons were yummy; the cream cheese inside was sweet and buttery. Their egg drop soup was warm and delicious; I didn’t try the hot & sour or the seafood soups. The dessert bar was luscious and extensive; but I was already full so just had some jello, a couple pieces of cantaloupe, and 2 cream puffs. I never knew cream puffs could be found at an Asian buffet.

And that’s how 2009 has gotten started for us! We have a wedding to plan this upcoming year, and we need to start looking for a bigger house. I think I’ll re-read the “Little House” books too, and see if they strike me differently now as an adult rather than as a schoolgirl.