Sister's Courtyard Tea House (of the August moon?)

Our friend Tere had taken a position way back in Tennessee, turned in her resignation at PCC, and notified all her friends that she was leaving in 2 weeks.  So Ross thought it best we have a small going away celebration (?).  Guess we had to call it something.  Our loss is her gain as she has family back there.  In life we are often called on to make changes that, while we may not like them, are necessary.  This was one of those things.  So Ross, in typical Ross fashion, pulled together a very elite group of her friends and , believe it or not, I made the cut! 

He chose a very intimate setting and we had our "party" after hours so we were there all alone, except for the owner and the chef.  I had never been to this place, but had heard nothing but rave reviews.  Our Pueblo Handweavers Guild had their Christmas party there, but I did not go because they told me I had to dress up and I have not played "dress up" since God only knows when.  So the evening of the soiree I pulled on one of my better pairs of jeans, picked up Ross's mom, Nancy, and off we went to Sister's Courtyard which is located in a corner of a small strip mall at 517 W. 5th St.  This was a good omen since I owned and lived in a house in Hutchinson, Kansas for many years which was located at 217 W. 5th St.  Omens are omens you know.

The entry way looks pleasant enough.

 

The owner greeted us and made us feel right at home, despite my tacky attire!  There is Ross in the background spinning a tale about something or other to some one.  The perfect host for the perfect party.  See that pink ball in the upper left corner?  There are lots of those suspended from the ceiling.  Hey!  I wonder how they got those up there?  Up the stairs is a small loft where they have things for sale and Michelle found a hat and parasol.  I found something to eat right on the table so I never made it up the stairs!

Oh, look!  Glass tea cups and a glass tea pot that sets over a candle so it stays warm!  How cool is that?

That hand pouring the tea into my cup belongs to the fellow who sat beside me through the whole tea and kept me entertained with computer talk and the furious clicking of his new camera.  Did you ever try to drink hot tea with a camera lens in your ear?  I will make a small interjection here; This is Chaz and Chaz has computer mind that would rival Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, or anyone else. He has his own business which I will profile here in a day or seven, but in the meantime, if you need a guru, this is the boy to call.  (I have his number) ((In  more ways than one)).

Nancy and I were having some sort of Blueberry tea which was out of this world.  I could see that since we were having the Full Tea Service that I would no doubt have to make a stop at Burger King on the way home.  Boy, was I surprised!  It is called Full for a reason!  The first thing to hit our table was Cheddar Cheese scones with some sort of garlic or something to spread on it.  On the "tea" deal I figured out that everybody gets one of what ever it is you are getting.  This keeps everyone on a level playing field.  Next came a small serving of quiche along with about an inch of soup in a bowl.  Yummy dabby doo!! 

I was beginning to think I probably would not starve when they brought out a 3 tiered thingy with tiny sandwiches, and little sweet things, along with little bitty servings of like fruit and other stuff!Hell, I was beginning to feel like Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.  My tummy was full, I was sloshing with all the tea, and they were not done with me yet!

OMG!  Cheese Cake!  Now where am I going to put that?  I am already stuffed.  I have no doubt consumed enough tea to keep me awake for hours or at the very least, well, you know as well as I do what happens when you drink a gallon of liquid right before bed!  Nancy and several others were asking for "to go boxes", but you know me.  I will eat that if it is the last thing I ever do, and to my credit, I did.  It was worth every delicious bite!  The whole tea was.

 

So after 2 hours of non stop eating and drinking, Nancy and I waddled out to the car, loaded up and headed east.  We did not stop at Burger King, but rather hurried home to our nice warm beds in our nice warm houses.  When I got home I jumped in my jammies and hurried off to bed with visions of Sister' Courtyard dancing through my head.

 

Now, have I ever given you a bum steer?  I think not.  If you are in need of a place to go with someone and kill a couple hours in an unhurried, casual  atmosphere, I highly recommend you call and make a reservation for 2 or 3 or more and have yourself a little tea party.  Prices range from $20 for the Full Tea Service down to $7 for the Crème Tea Service which is scones and tea.  The also have a lunch menu and that is out of this world!.

Reservations are recommended for lunch and required for Tea Service.  719-543-1947

or visit on the web at Sister's Courtyard 

and, as always, tell them Lou Mercer sent you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Milberger Farms are now offering Gluten Free products!

Met my friend Tim in there for lunch to other day.  Course I took one of my gluten free buns for his sandwich since not many places can accommodate that need. Was I surprised to learn that they have their own gluten free bread in the kitchen!  Welcome to our world, Milberger Farms! 
You all know that I love to go their and eat the BLT with my friend Nancy, and I had told Tim, who is another bacon aficionado and so the Friday lunch hour found us there.  They also have the best salad bar on the front range.  Love that salad and sometimes just grab some for the house if I am expecting company.  It is much easier to grab a plate over there and pile it up with lettuce, onions, beets, tomato, olives, blue cheese, eggs, nuts and whatever else grabs my fancy.  Also a whole lot cheaper.  Usually make my own dressing.
Lordie, I can ramble!  Just wanted to pass the good word about the gluten free lunch choices on to  my friends with the problem.  I choose it some times just for the digestive factor and the fact that I tend to be a bit on the "fluffy side"  if I am not real comfortable. They also have gluten free choices in their bakery case.  Just trust me on this.
Sorry this is short but PFLAG is having the annual book sale at PCC and being a good little girl I am working there yesterday and today. 
Wanna' meet me out at Milbergers later?

C & J Drain Cleaning and Plumbing or "My Heroes!"

This is the neighbors horse.  He is waiting for me to bring him a carrot, but I am waiting for the plumber who is coming to unplug my drain!  Something about the first of a new year, freezing cold temperatures and my drain not doing the draining thing that seems to go hand in hand.  So I had spent about a week trying to get the silly sink to drain and convincing myself that the sink taking 3 hours to empty out was normal.  Right up until Monday morning when I finally called the guy who pumps my septic tank  and asked him for the number of the guy who unplugged my line last time.  I knew the septic tank did not need pumped and he agreed.  So I bit the bullet and made the call.

And here  is a look inside the plumbers truck.  Some how I got a feeling that this was going to be alright.  The man who owns the company is named Clarence.  His helper was Jerry.  They were both very nice and so polite!

First thing that has to happen when you have a septic tank is the removal of the concrete lid.  That was a little tricky since it was frozen in place, but Jerry got that done with the help of his trusty pry bar.

And here is the birds eye view of my septic tank.

See the steam?  You know it was really cold out there!  So Jerry got his trusty roto rooter out and began grinding away.  

When  American Septic and Sewer Pumped my tank last year he said I had roots in my line and that my septic tank was in good shape.  He told me then that I would only need to have it pumped every four years.  That made me happy.  I had the lines roto rooted  then so I was pretty sure that was the problem now.  And I was right. These two guys went right to work and in less then 20 minutes I was good to go.    Jerry came in and cleaned out under the kitchen sink and ran the snake through there.  Then he put everything right back where he found it.  

I would recommend these guys highly for any plumbing you may need done at your house.  And since I have a septic tank and expect high bills when work needs to be done I was very, very pleased with his rates.  Going to put his number somewhere that I can find it when I need it and not going to bother with those silly yellow pages.

And just in case you are in need of guys that work reasonably and are honest, down to earth fellows that clean up after themselves, here is thier contact info

C & J Drain Cleaning and plumbing:

719-947-2521  (NORTH)

719-568-7660  (SOUTH)  I use the South one.