Sunday Morning Thoughts – Bagels and More….

Here’s what is on my mind this morning:

• Bagels ‘N Stuff — I did a post back in June about the new bagel shop in Sanford called Bagels ‘N Stuff located next to Cafe Vesuvio (click here to read the post and comments). At the time I hadn’t been able to get in to give it a try, but was excited about going!! I realized this morning that I never followed up on that post to talk about my experience! What made me realize it this morning? Well, I got a comment on that post from the owner – Lenny – saying that he found my blog and wondered how I liked his bagels! How cool was that? I decided I needed to fix my oversight right away!!! I have only been for lunch (so far), but the times I have popped in for lunch were VERY enjoyable!!! I was able to get my old standby – warm corned beef on an onion bagel with onions and mayo. They didn’t have horseradish the first time I went and I have forgotten to ask for it on subsequent visits. The macaroni salad and pickles are very good, too! They have a wide variety of NY Deli favorites – lots of flavored cream cheeses and lox for bagels, deli meats, rolls, salads, knish, pastries, and, of course, bagels – just about any kind of bagel you can imagine! It is a very friendly little shop – everyone is so nice and welcoming – and it is very bright and cheery – great service – and a very nice owner who obviously cares what his customers think (as evident not only from seeing him talk to his customers, but also from his comment on my post)!!! I had a couple other very positive comments on the post and have heard folks talking about their food! Check it out — you won’t be sorry — then, spread the word!!!
• TJ Maxx – Believe it or not, I have never been to TJ Maxx before! I understand that might be bordering on shoppers blasphemy, but I just never went!! Until yesterday! I met some friends for breakfast at the Dairy Bar. Afterwards, Lisa wanted to go in to TJ Maxx to find a new purse for the fall/winter season – she said they have designer bags at discount prices! So, I decided to go with her to check it out! We spent quite some time there looking at purses – Lisa picked out 3 or 4 that caught her eye, but didn’t settle on any of them and ended up leaving without buying anything. I, on the other hand, did buy a new purse! I figured I would need one for while my very expensive Guess bag with the broken zipper is in getting fixed (when I find a place to fix it) and having an alternate is nice, too. So — the one who isn’t that interested in purses found a good buy, but the one who is actually quite the purse hound didn’t find anything she liked!!! Go figure! BUT — the one I got is really cool — it is a Linea Rosetti — red corduroy type cloth with alligator look vinyl accents — lots of good pouches outside and in — hobo style — and only $24.99!!! I thought I remembered it was less than that, but I looked at a couple and this one was $24.99! Can’t beat that with a stick!!! OMG – am I turning into a purse freak????? Here’s a shot of it:
• We also went to Pet Smart while we were in Cary — I got some food, treats, and new toys for the girls! They were really happy when I got home! Lisa got a bunch of stuff for her crew there, too.
• I rarely go in to Cary – I don’t like the traffic and crowds, but I have been to Cary THREE times just this week!!!! I went Weds evening for a dinner with a large group – we went to Mythos, a Greek restaurant on the corner of Cary Parkway and Trion Road. I had an amazing pork chop dinner and an incredible traditional Greek dessert that was like a lemon pie with roasted pie nuts on top! All the other meals looked scrumptious, too!!! It is a little pricey, but if you are looking for a really nice, yet different, dining experience for a special occasion, I recommend Mythos!
• Yesterday was an incredible experience for me — not just cause I made my first visit to TJ Maxx and got a nice purse, but also because I was acutely aware of the significant progress I am making with my health issues!!!! I think that Peggy at the Family Doc has finally figured out what has been wrong with me! I say “finally”, only because I have been dealing with this problem since before Christmas – but not because Peggy has been trying to figure it out for a long time — she actually has only been working through tests and exams for about a month (I switched to the Family Doc in June because I felt I may be in need of someone who specializes in some of the problems I have been having and because they are located close to my home and work). In general, I have been experiencing severe joint pain. It started rather suddenly between Thanksgiving and Christmas and has progressively gotten worse ever since. If I stand or walk more than a few minutes without being able to sit down, all my joints – ALL my joints, start to ache and my back goes into cramping and spasms – sometimes just to the point of being extremely uncomfortable and sometimes to the point of excruciating, can’t breathe, can’t straighten up, can barely force myself to a place to sit, bring me to tears, pain!!!! And everywhere in between. I have good and bad days, so some days I can do more than others. But, I have gotten so that I don’t trust it and don’t know when a good day will turn into a bad day with no notice! So, I don’t stay very long anywhere that I may not be able to sit (hence the reason I didn’t stay at the Fourth of July and Children’s Carnival events very long) and I don’t go to the store unless I know exactly what I want and where it is so that I can get in and out quickly and ALWAYS push a cart to lean on even if I’m only getting one or two little things (a cart has saved me many a time when the check out line is long and slow)! Then, fighting the pain ends up being so exhausting that when I finally get home, I can barely get up the steps to get in the house and I collapse on the couch and fall asleep!!! Anyway — yesterday I went shopping with my friend Lisa and was beginning to get nervous when I realized she was going to look at every single purse at least once and some more than once and there were several racks of many, many purses!!!! But, we were there for quite some time – maybe close to an hour – and NO pain!!!! We went from there to Pet Smart and stood to watch the dogs playing in the day care area for a long time and then wandered all over the store – still NO pain!!! I took Lisa home and went to WalGreens and made a few more stops! When I got home, I carried all my bags into the house and put everything away, took care of the girls, and stood out on the back deck watching them play for 15-20 minutes or so!!!! STILL NO PAIN!!!! I have not had any one day since before Christmas that I didn’t have some level of pain and exhaustion and here I was with a VERY full and active day with NO pain at all!!!! Peggy has checked me for just about everything that can be checked for — rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, heart problems, bone scans, etc………….she found some normal things that need some attention (I’m just getting old…), but finally found the one thing that “could” explain the pain problems — my uric acid level is very high — I found after doing some research that, among other things, this can be caused by taking low dose aspirin, diuretics, and some blood pressure meds!!! Since a point between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I have been taking a low does aspirin every morning and have been on a blood pressure medicine that contains a diuretic – it looked to me like I was begging for trouble!!! About a week ago, I stopped taking the low dose aspirin and Peggy changed my blood pressure medicine. I started noticing little differences about 1/2 way through the week — and then there was yesterday!!!! I am not naive enough to think it is all over – I realize it may take a while to get my system back to normal, but I was so thrilled about yesterday that I felt like dancing in the streets — and I believe actually COULD have danced in the streets!!!! And I never got all tired out and in desprite need of a nap, either!!! WOO HOO!!!! I used to have so much energy and it has been very frustrating to have NO energy and to be in so much pain and tired all the time!!! I am really hopeful that this is the answer and that I will soon be able to do so much more!!! I’m relieved!!!! And I owe it all to Peggy – after I tearfully asked her “if all my test results are coming back so good, why do I still feel like this” and explained in more detail what has been going on, she did a full rheumatoid and autoimmune work up and found the uric acid level out of whack!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I know it is just one extremely good day, but I am convinced that it is the first of many extremely good days!!!!
• Megan is a big fan of “Greatest American Dog” – the new reality show on CBS about dogs! I haven’t watched it – I know, you would think it would be my favorite show as much as I love dogs!!! But, I just haven’t remembered to check it out and haven’t gotten hooked on it. But, this past week, I was flipping around and caught part of it! The squeaking toys and dog sounds caught Megan’s ear and she sat up on the hassock and watched the TV with intense interest!!!! She sat there and stared at it and was mesmerized!!! When a commercial came on, she laid down and lost interest, but as soon as the show came back on, she sat up and watched and watched!!!! It was so funny — it really held her interest and attention like no other show I’ve ever seen her watch! They all like Animal Planet and watch some of the shows that catch their attention, but they don’t usually hold their attention long —- this one sure did!!!! Katie and Amy – not so much – they just slept through it all and didn’t pay it any mind at all……..

Well – guess that’s it for now — gonna go read the Sanford Herald and watch Sunday Morning on CBS! Happy Sunday!!!