Sunday May 17 Walk/Run: Meet at West View Brew, 442 Perry Hwy, West View, PA 15229

 West View Brew is our meeting place for May 17.

Last week, before meeting at the Parisi Cafe, we wandered over to the parkway construction site at the bottom of Commercial Street and tried to imagine the existing bridge being imploded and the new deck structure slid into place.  If someone gets to see this, please post photos and share your report.

Meanwhile, blog keeper (RG-BK) assumes everyone knows there will be a full closure of 376 East from July 10 to August 4.

More important matters were discussed over coffee:  For instance: should we celebrate Sketchers, or do they make us look old? 

Janet, our resident expert in many things, informed us of the coronary calcium scan that measures whether there is calcified plaque in the heart arteries and can estimate the future risk of a heart attack.  It's a short, simple CT scan.

She also answered the question:  What is a lipidologist?  Answer: a healthcare professional who diagnoses and treats lipid disorders, such as high cholesterol and triglycerides.

But the more crucial question remains: do Sketchers make us look old?

We moved conversationally from the heart to the body and then to the stuff we accumulate in old age, and someone mentioned "Super Cooper," and the aged RG-BK, intending to inform, looked up "Super Cooper" and found:

Super Cooper Sunday, a YouTube series about golden retrievers

Super Cooper, the mentalist from West Bloomfield, MI

A restorer of Mini Coopers

A media company in St. CLoud, MN

etc.

recommendations:

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning - by Margareta Magnusson

Washage rugs

Facebook Marketplace

To stream:

Call the Midwife

Beef

Happy almost birthday, Linda!

Sunday May 10 Walk/Run: Meet at Parisi Cafe, 7107 Harrison Ave, Swissvale 15218

Officially our meeting place is Parisi Cafe and Italian Market, 7107 Harrison Ave, Swissvale.  

Marathon Sunday was cold and sunny and those of us who weren't hemmed in by road closures met at Fifth and Beechwood and continued to the Panera at Bakery Square, where, as always we shared verifiable information, conjecture, and good stories.  

We didn't talk turkey* on Sunday.  Instead we talked chicken, or rather listened, rapt, to Bobbi's tales of her chickens, including Dominique, who was raised by hand, and Bean, a hybrid chicken.  

*The origin of "talk turkey" allegedly comes from colonial times when colonists and Indians bartered over wild turkeys.   Folklore tells of a particular encounter, but it's possible the stories arose from an article in the  Niles' Weekly Register from 1837.

What's true is this:  The Post-Gazette is now owned by the Baltimore-based Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism and will be run as a nonprofit.  40% of the staff was cut, and there will be no arts coverage or editorial page.  But according to V.L., our reliable source, we should give them a chance.  

Pittsburgh City Paper, also acquired from Block Communications, was rebooted by LocalMatters, another nonprofit.  So give them a chance, too.

Bad news:  Ice is out and about, picking up individuals instead of groups, and thus attracting less attention.

Not exactly an answer to the question:  "How Trumpy is Lowe's?"  Both Home Depot and Lowe's contribute to political campaigns, but Home Depot's co-founder Bernie Marcus has been a major donor to Trump.  So maybe the answer to the question about Lowe's is "less Trumpy."

Up for debate:  Everything is better in Canada.

How to save money streaming films?  A Pitt or CMU ID card will get you access to the university libraries and to Kanopy with its vast collection of films.

Endorsements: 

Hana Lee Goldin's Substack that teachs you how to think like a librarian in the Age of AI. Card Catalogue for Life

For elevated garden beds, go to Costco or Gardener's Supply Company

The best basil plants for planting in your garden come from Trader Joe's.

Shocking Update on Outlander:  Aimee is two seasons behind.

May 3 Walk/Run: Meet at Mellon Park, Beechwood and Fifth Avenues, Pittsburgh.

It's Pittsburgh Marathon Day.  Same as last year, we'll meet near the spray park/tennis courts.  Then post run/walk, we'll gather at Panera Bread in Bakery Square.  

To avoid road closures, park on Beechwood or Reynolds and walk to Mellon Park.  Here's the 2026 Race Course for more information.

Last week, Wendy was our host.  RGers piled into her beautiful house and sipped coffee in her beautiful cups.  One RGer locked herself in the bathroom to spend time with her beautiful wallpaper.  Linda contributed delicious lemon poppyseed muffins and several RGers brought treats from Five Points, and if it seems as if there are too many superlatives, they're all well deserved.

Some opinions on grocery shopping:

The Giant Eagle in Shaler is the most chill. 

But no one will find you at the Giant Eagle in Greenfield.

For meat and eggs, check out the East Liberty Farmers Market.

For chocolate milk, try the East End Food Coop.

Then there's Costco, where the employees are treated well.

FYI:

Trader Joe's and Aldi are owned by the same German company.  They are run separately and have been called "conflicted cousins," for reasons that are probably obvious.

Speaking of running:  The Wednesday/Friday runs live on through Jonathan.  

For laughs, check out comedian Rachel Goldstein (not to be confused with Rachel Feinstein or Brett Goldstein) Rachel Goldstein

Sharon on kids:  "When you think they're all grown up, they still cost a lot of money."

Resistance action of the week:

Citizens Bank: Stop Funding Cruelty!  Citizens Bank is a key funder of GEO Group and Core Civic. These 2 companies run ICE detention centers holding 60,000 immigrants, including the notorious Moshannon Valley prison 2 hours from Pittsburgh. With millions of taxpayer dollars funneled to them by Citizens, these contractors regularly withhold necessary medical care, illegally put people in solitary confinement, allow severely inhumane conditions, and rip families apart. 23 prisoners have died in the past year.  Past protests against banks supporting ICE prisons, including JP Morgan and Citibank, have worked.  

Possible ways to join this nationwide protest:

1. Write some letters - Indivisible Philadelphia is running a letter writing campaign. Use this form to get info.
2. If you have money in Citizens Bank, consider moving it to another bank, and tell them why.
3. Join the local protest in front of their Squirrel Hill branch, 1801 Murray, every Saturday at 10 starting May 2.

April 26 Run/Walk: Meet at Five Points Bakeshop, 6520 Wilkins Avenue

Will the traffic be unbearable during the NFL Draft?  We speculated last Sunday, when we met at Commonplace Coffee. Will there really be twice as many visitors as residents of Pittsburgh?  At this moment, who can say, but we'll know when we meet up at Five Points Bakeshop on April 26th.

We had the chance to pursue lots of art at Art All Night, which this year met on Lexington Street, not far from Commonplace.  There were selections from very young artists...

 

and some work from those who were far more experienced.  

On the maybe-necessary front:  there's a shower in the very nice bathroom at Commonplace Coffee.

If you need a great eye doctor,  Steve Rogers is highly recommended.  Steven R. Rogers

Does Reiki cure all?
Can it heal a dog?  Start a dead car?  

We missed this year's Croatian Festival in Millvale, but you can get coffee or breakfast at  The Nook in Lawrenceville.

Let's celebrate our dogs, even when they aren't the smartest pups in the litter. "In Defense of Dumb Dogs"

We're rooting for you, Buddy Guy.  Keep up the good work, Tully and Rozzie, and all the companions whose names I've left out.  You may not be able to fetch a toy by name or herd sheep, but you comfort us when we're sick and love us when we're grumpy.

From Roye, at the other end of the table:  

A.W. Beattie Career Center Restaurant where earnest students make chef-level food at diner-level prices.

Read Empires of Light

Eat an egg sandwich https://commonplacecoffee.com/pages/rockwell-park

Ask Bobbi to demonstrate the bunny ears double knot shoe tying technique

Bike in Meadville on the  Ernst Trail and the John Oliver Trail

Consider an RG trip to Preque Isle.

                    

April 19 Run/Walk: Meet at Commonplace Coffee, 7514 Thomas Blvd, Pittsburgh

The second entrance to Commonplace Coffee is on Meade Street, across from the East End Food Coop.

Either way you enter, it's close to 400 Lexington Street, site of Art All Night and a chance to peruse what's hanging.

Last week we had a gorgeous day for a walk or run, and at the back of Big Dog Coffee, we had our own private dining room.  No one was dispossessed.

One overheard endorsement:  Check out Tee Public for vintage T-shirts.

Also overheard at the long, lively table:

These days in journalism the word is: do more with less.

Ohio has no slang.

If you believe in facts you're a left-winger.

We can discuss.

Resistance action of the week: 

Yes, more contacting, but just got this from the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania - 

Continue to flood the Senate with calls to oppose the SAVE America Act!
In February, the House of Representatives passed the anti-voter Save America Act. The SAVE America Act remains open for debate on the Senate floor, and a vote could still be called at any time. Continue putting pressure on the Senate to reject this anti-voter bill.

Call or email (remember, you can keep it short).

• Senator Fetterman (contact)
• Senator McCormick (contact)

And/or sign up to get the League's emails - they have lots of suggestions!

April 12 Walk/Run: Meet at Big Dog Coffee, 2717 Sarah St., Pittsburgh 15203

On a rainy Easter Sunday a small group of us walked or ran and then gathered at 61C for a spirited conversation about food, girlhood, Girl Scouts, womanhood, parenthood, mother-in-law-hood.  

Menstruation was a major topic.  The misinformation.  ("Tampons can get lost in your body.")  The reality. (Cramps, blood stains on white skirts, giant sanitary napkins.) The elder(s) among us remembered the days before adhesive strips came on the market, when pads had tabs that attached to an elastic belt.  

• In case anyone is wondering, Midol is still on the market.  So is Pamprin.
• To get around town, check out Citymapper.
• Scone-haters might try the savory scones at Madeleine or the sweet ones at Five Points and maybe change their opinions.  Or not. 
• Comfort food in a cold world?
• Avocados.  Mashed potatoes and gravy -- Virginia
• Scrambled eggs and toast -- Janet
• Buttered noodles -- Janey
• Oatmeal -- Wendy
• Macaroni and cheese -- Joanne
• Bread with a crispy crust
• Bread and butter
• Warm bread
• Good bread
• Bread with honey or almond butter.

Resistance actions of the week:

1. Yet again, call/email Fetterman (contact) and McCormick (contact) and simply say: 

• Stop the War
• Remove Unfit President
• (or pick any of these)

This may seem hopeless, but each contact is recorded by staffers - numbers count!  Brevity is fine - apparently they don't read our reasons. 

2. Save the date:  May Day (May 1) National Strike - try for no shopping, no work, no school, whatever you can. Numbers will count here even more.

March 29 Run/Walk: Meet at Paris Baguette, 5514 Walnut Street, Shadyside

You'll find this latest outpost of the Seoul-based franchise brand at 5514 Walnut Street in Shadyside, where Williams-Sonoma once stood.   No coffeemakers, but cofffee and "French-inspired" pastries from this number one bakery in South Korea. 

Last Sunday, two days after the official start of spring, some of us had started seedlings indoors and others were dreaming of gardens to come.  It's too late for winter sowing, but plenty of seeds can still be cultivated indoors.  Beth is our local expert.  If she's unavailable, several online sources also provide information about what can be started indoors in April.  Soil to Soul,  based in Canada, had lots of advice.

If indoor plants are your preference, an impressive collection can be found at Urban Jungle on Braddock Avenue in Regent Square.

Do we all have Libby?  All of this week's reading recommendations can be found on this site, in audio or digital versions:

Patrick O'Brian's 23 sea novels, set during the Napoleonic Wars.

Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America by Beth Macy.

Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, historical fiction set in 1930s Kentucky by Kim Michele Richardson.

An Ezra Klein podcast on the rec list, also available on youtube: Naomi Klein on Trumpism and our Age of "Unlikely Bedfellows".

Are the best things in life free? 

A one-month Peloton membership is.

So is our RG, in good and hard times. 

Resistance action of the week: Come to a NO KINGS rally this Saturday, 3/28. The presence of all of us is the only way to show the world, and ourselves, the strength of our opposition to this dangerous, immoral regime. 

• (Main rally) Noon, City-County Building, 414 Grant St. downtown
• 5:00 PM - Corner of Shady Ave. and 5th Ave., Shadyside
• North Hills, South Hills, Penn Hills, and everywhere else worldwide - find on map on nokings.org.

 

And because those among us recalled the the pleasure and relief of meeting up during the Covid era, from the archive: