Silver Dollar Pancakes Guest Blog

My sister Mary sent these two photos from New York City as she indulged in a pancake breakfast a day early.

She and a friend are headed to the orchid show on Tuesday and no pancakes at the Botanical Garden. When we were growing up, many churches had Pancake Suppers in the church basement on Shrove Tuesday *

The End

Mardi Gras (fat Tuesday) refers to events of beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday the beginning of Lent which is also known as Shrove Tuesday

“….final day before the austerity of the Lenten fast, Shrove Tuesday

also has many customs pertaining to food. Pancakes are traditional in a number of European countries because eggs, sugar, and fat, commonly forbidden during the Lenten fast, are used up so they will not go to waste”

Past years I posted about the Polish pre Lenten Tradition of Paczki (click link to see the filled doughnut like treats )

*The word shrove is a form of the English word shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of Confession and doing penance. Thus Shrove Tuesday was named after the custom of Christians to be “shriven” before the start of Lent.

Happy Milestone Birthday Mary

Wishing the happiest birthdays, with much love, to a wonderful sister who is always there for all of us. I compiled a few collages to help celebrate the day. Thanking you for all you do to make life nice. I’m so glad you can be with David today.

Sending birthday greeting across the miles to you.

With our mother
With Mark
With Mark Matthew and Laura
Fun photos we’ve taken in Ohio NYC Alaska and the Sock Monkey Museum in Rockford,” Illinois
With David and Me
With great nieces and nephews
In between Sharon and me at Anna’s Graduation May 2022 our most recent pic

Popular Building

There are always people stopping at the corner of Grove and Bedford Streets to photograph this building which appears in the opening credits of the tv show F•r•i•e•n•d•s.

I posted it five years ago with Anna and Erika in front when they visited NYC

Quirky Museums

Years ago I bought my sister a book.

The Cockroach Hall of Fame and 101 Other Off-the-Wall Museums by Sandra Gurvis.

This past week when I was visiting Mary, I photographed the cover and peeked inside. She had post-its, handwritten notes (such as the addition of The Jell-O Museum in Leroy, New York) inside the covers, ticket stubs and newspaper clippings about other museums she’s come across.

Do you know anyone else who has been to the National Mustard Museum in Middleton Wisconsin?

Then we went to get coffee and a cardamom bun. Would you believe we walked right by the Museum of Illusions in an old bank on 8th Avenue as we walked to 14th Street? It’s only been there since 2017 so is not in the book.

Yes, there is a Hearing Aids Museum in Kent, Ohio.

When checking the newspaper clippings my sister clipped and added to the book, I stumbled upon a link about controversy when the Museum of Chinese in America reopened last summer 2021.

The Cookie Jar Museum founded by Lucille Bromberek of Lemont Illinois is now closed

Hearing Aids Museum in Kent, Ohio article
A ticket stub from The Tenement Museum
I love that the book is so well used
The Museum of Illusions in NYC on 8th Ave

My friend Randi told me about the Spam Museum in Minnesota. Also called the Guggenham. Don’t worry if you’re not in the neighborhood. There are free virtual tours!

If I’d stayed longer, I would have looked up more of the museums and posted their status.

Balloons on Hudson Street

Happy Passover. Eappy Easter
from Big Head Balloons

On the way to the parking garage as I was leaving town, luggage in hand….I had to stop and take a photo.

There is a Balloon Banksy at work (although the article says he’s retired) Joel Klein has been in the ballon biz for more than 40 years and runs Big Head Balloons and you can see his creations on Instagram bigheadballoons.

Parked by the School

Another sign of Spring. A Mister Softee Truck

“Mister Softee was founded by William Conway and James Conway in 1956 in Philadelphia and is one of the largest franchisers of soft ice cream in the United States”

School was about to let out but we were long gone