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:

March 22 Run/Walk: Meet at Mediterra Café, 5112 Butler Street, Lawrenceville

This is the Mediterra Cafe on 5112 Butler Street in Lawrenceville

Last week we met in front of the Detective Building, once the home of the Bureau of Police Investigations, then later Schoolhouse Electric.  Now on the bottom floor is Redstart Coffee, whose motto is "drink bird friendly."

Maybe the delightful Hoppers inspired us, because there was a lot of talk about favorite characters from animated films, among them Grandma Willow, a sentient tree who advises Pocahontas and is depicted as wise and ancient. 

And so you don't have to Google it yourself:  Yes, Taylor Dearden, who plays Mel in The Pitt, is the daughter of Bryan Cranston, and Katherine LaNasa, Nurse Dana, was married to Dennis Hopper from 1989 - 1992.

Shows you might watch: Forsyte Saga is on Netflix or PBS for free, if you have a subscription, and nearly every other streaming service for a small fee.  

If you're into Canadian sports romances, maybe Heated Rivalry on HBO Max is the one for you.

Or watch Jane Austen's Period Drama, a short film about menstruation.  ("In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estogenia Talbot gets her period.") https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLyS7wQIUiWYiBwbt_LVgifrKlQcSs-kee 

Or Retirement Plan, a 7-minute short. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mqa4zfJdx4

Resistance action of the week:  NO KINGS  mass protest on Saturday, March 28.

Make a plan now to be at one of the 3000+ No Kings Rallies next week, Saturday, March 28th.  The main one in Pittsburgh takes place at noon at the City County Building, 414 Grant Street, downtown.  But there are others.  find them here in the area all day long.  12 million people in the streets would turn things around.  Read this to see how

March 15 Run/Walk: Meet at Redstart Coffee, 224 North Euclid Avenue, East Liberty.

 March 15 Run/Walk:  Redstart Coffee is in the Detective Building on N. Euclid Ave.

We learned about the Anvil and Anchor Coffee Bar, where we met on Sunday, because Aimee's colleague's cat had to get chemo nearby and the colleague needed a place to sit and wait.  And thus we sat, and some of us tasted a sliver of donut, though donuts have no food value whatsoever, and worse, it was reported, "make your teeth gritty."

But the coffee shop was spacious and empty and there was more than enough room for the small group of us who arrived at what was really 6:00 AM.  Ben Avon has many fine old houses and points of interest.  Here, long ago,  Gretchen's mother taught elementary school. Runners got to do a little trail run through Vinegar Hollow. http://hollowoak.org/our-conservation-areas/vinegar-hollow/.

Ben Avon is also the site of the Emsworth Locks and Dam. Emsworth Locks and Dam

The Borough's name comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "hill on the water."  It's pronounced Ben - Ah-vuhn, which according to AI, rhymes with "pen oven."  You might try that out and see if anyone understands you.

Endorsements and advice:

Time for that colonoscopy?  Try Magee or St. Margaret's, instead of Shadyside, where the prep is "insane."  

Propofol is the drug of choice for colonoscopies.  It is not endorsed for recreational purposes.

When in need of a public toilet, hotels are a good option.  This assumes a hotel is nearby. Penn Mac has a restroom for the truly desperate - maybe. In short, we agreed that the dearth of public facilities is yet another issue that needs to be addressed. 

March 8 Run/Walk: (This one is Daylight Savings - set clocks ahead). Meet at Anchor & Anvil Coffee, 7221 Church Ave, Ben Avon

Spring ahead and Ben Avon (pop. 1,918) ahoy! Anchor and Anvil Coffee apparently has some special kind of donut.  

But that will have to be compared to treats tasted last week at Five Points, seen in demolished state below but worth every calorie.  This perhaps clashed with a lengthy convo about exercise classes at the JCC, which may be "all about butt squats." Previously, we did some running/walking.  

Resistance action of the week:

• The War Powers Resolution has a Senate vote today - there may still be time for a quick appeal to McCormick (contact) & Fetterman (contact).
• Another idea:  find an immigrant-run business/activity (find some here and here) and patronize it.  There are tacos/sambusas/bao/fattoush/pupusas/etc. galore all around.  And a Colombian dance concert on March 28.  Or get your roof repaired.

March 1 - Daylight Savings Run/Walk: Meet at Five Points Bakery, 6524 Wilkins Avenue, Pittsburgh

Runners and walkers -- spring ahead!

We'll take the backroom at Five Points Bakery, 6524 Wilkins Avenue, Pittsburgh

Last week the branches were heavy with snow and we warmed up at Panera Bread, this time at the Waterfront.  

We had some endorsements.  black vinegar, "an acquired taste," was highly recommended.

Also Women Don't Ask:  Negotiation and the Gender Divide by Linda Babcock.

Skincare recommendations included Clinique and Laura Mercier.

And suggestions for a new Olympic event, using the triathlon as a model: this time, swimming, running, and belly dancing.  We have a contender.

Unanswered questions:

What year did the first "I'm on my way" text train start? 

Who can recommend a good optician?  Or optometrist?  Who can spell ophthalmologist? 

Can the blog count as a publication if one of us is coming up for tenure?  (No on is; just asking...)

Should we boycott American goods?

Will Fresh Market, soon to open in the old Whole Foods building, survive?  Which supermarket in this oversaturated area will sink?  

Resistance actions of the week.

Act to stop ICE by attending the meeting of the Allegheny County Council's Public Safety committee on Monday, March 2 at 4 PM, County Courthouse, Conference Rm 1,436 Grant St, downtown.  Council members need a public show of support for their bill to stop collaboration with ICE by county officials and employees.  More  info here

Act to save the environment by calling Fetterman and McCormick to demand they vote NO to lifting the ban on mining in the Boundary Waters Wilderness, coming up very soon.  This has much wider implications for despoilment of public lands.

 

February 22 Walk/Run: Meet at Panera Bread, 210 West Bridge Street, Homestead

Once again we'll meet at Panera Bread, this time on the Waterfront: 210 West Bridge Street in Homestead

Last week, at the big table at the Boulevard of the Allies Panera, we talked about birds.  The days are longer and the temperatures are not as frigid, and we're pleased to see and hear all of them, even the crows and sassy bluejays.  We went from birds to raccoons and then to groundhogs.

A groundhog (or woodchuck or whistle-pig or thick woods badger) is a sciurid, and though we hate the way they tunnel through our gardens, they also aerate the soil.  Like humans: good and bad.

Then there's Max's friend, with a pet groundhog she feeds organic almonds.

Raccoons are not sciurids or rodents.  They're in the family Procyonidae.  You can find a giant replica of one in Millvale. https://www.millvalecdc.org/current-projects/rainbow-raccoon-park

While in Millvale, you can also "drink tea, eat cake, and discuss death," if that's your thing.https://deathcafe.com/deathcafe/24644/