Sophie's Story

        There is a restaurant that we like to go to in Door County.  It's an older one, decorated in an old English style. It reminds me of the fancy restaurant my parents took my siblings and I to eat once to learn manners at fancier restaurants. C and I used to dress up to eat there, in later years we have become more and more casual to the point where I wear a nice pair of jeans and a good sweater. (I've seen people eat there wearing shorts and T shirts.)    We like to get a table by the window because most of them have a good view. We've been seated near the fireplace which is also good.     Mindful of the staffing difficulties that most restaurants in Door County are still experiencing, C made our reservation for an early time when the restaurant would be less crowded. We looked forward to our meal there with anticipation. We had not eaten there in a couple of years.    We were seated shortly after we arrived at a seat near the back window. It didn't have much of a

     There was no trip down Maple Grove Road for us this year. No drive under the yellow canopy of leaves that led us to our former home away from home. Instead we pulled off the highway and drove to the small white building that was the office for the hotel we are staying  at this year.  After we checked in we brought some things things into the hotel and found our room.    It is on the first floor and facing the back of the hotel. The bushes in front of out window give us some privacy.  Inside the room was a large bed, a chair, a table with two chairs, the jacuzzi and the wet bar. It wasn't the homey room we had enjoyed before, It did look comfortable and it had plenty of space. We found a cart and got the suitcases.    After we brought out the suitcases we went to find something to eat. When we got back to the hotel, I did a little exploring. The website said there was a pool and a hot tub. I found both of them. The pool was small, but large enough that I could swim some laps if

     October is American Pharmacists month and today is Women Pharmacist Day. This is the day set aside to celebrate women in pharmacy and the gains they have made.    It's not academic for me. I have lived through some of these changes. When I started working as a newly licensed pharmacist in 1993, there were not many women pharmacists. My graduating class was maybe 60% men and 40 % women. As years would go on the ratio would become 50% and then women would be the majority. When I started precepting first year pharmacy students women by far outnumbered men.   In 1993 it was a whole different story.......    There were doctors who would not let me take prescriptions (back then prescriptions were called in) because they didn't believe I was a pharmacist. Pharmacists were men. I remember arguing with an orthopedic physician who asked me when were women "allowed" be to pharmacists? I blurted out 1963 which is when the first woman graduated from the NDSU pharmacy school.

     I was going through my jewelry armoire when I saw something I didn't expect. It was a necklace. The pendant was a clear glass heart. Inside the glass heart were two small hearts touching, one blue and one green. The pendent hung from a red silk cord.     It was lying there along in the back of the drawer. I was a bit taken aback seeing it there. I didn't realise that I still had it. I had bought it at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival a long time ago. In those days I went to the festival a lot. So much so that I bought a noblewoman's costume to wear when I went. This was before I met C when I was dating someone else. I bought the necklace because it was a romantic gesture. Two little hearts touching in a big glass heart.    Once C and I were engaged, I got rid of all the pictures and memorabilia from that relationship, except for the noblewoman's costume (because it is beautiful and I like looking at it in my closet) and a blender that I got as a present on Valent

     Last week a friend gave me a loaf of bread that her husband made. Bread baking is a hobby of his. I was very happy to receive this loaf. I like homemade bread.    It wasn't always like that. I grew up eating bread that my mother baked. We kids always got a slice when the bread came out of the oven. Sometimes we would put butter on it. I liked to roll the inside of the bread into a ball and eat it. (I was always a weird kid.) One it cooled, I didn't like it so much. Many times I wished we could get store bought bread. Store bought bread isn't as dry as homemade bread and the crusts is not as thick.    Bread baking is something I've always wanted to try. I'm a little nervous because it seems so complicated. You have to let it rise the right amount so that it won't be too light or too dense. The water has to be at the right temperature so the yeast grows but doesn't die. I want to try it because it looks like it might be fun. There's something about ge

     C called me from the garage. "I'm good, Let's do it."     I knew what that meant. We were going to do the 40 miles bike ride that we had dubbed "The Full Enchilada". We had planned on doing it Friday, but Thursday morning, C went for a net shot playing pickleball and injured his calf muscle. I was sure the ride was not going to happen.  Especially since we promised my parents a trip to the Arboretum later that day which would involve some walking.   I resigned myself to the fact that this wasn't going to be the year. I'd have to try to keep myself in riding shape and try again next year.    Instead of preparing for the ride as I planned to do Friday morning, I watched a tech replace the cracked windshield on C's car and did the dishes.     After the tech left C decided to try riding his bike. Maybe he'd still be able to do it after all. He rode a short distance to the library and back. Then he made the call to me.    I hung up the call p