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lenora_rose1) Little Squee #1: On Friday, the CBC radio morning show declared Little Sister's, a bitty hole-in-the-wall shop near where I live, the source of the best coffee in town, with the jusdges giving it a unanimous vote over the place everyone *expected* would win (which did come in second: a place called Parlour Coffee). Since they're near me, and were setting up to compete across the street one way from a Starbuck's, the other from a Second Cup, and with a Timmies in the grocery store, I had been wondering if that little shop would do well or not, and also been wondering about giving them a try. So I went, well, I'm going to pick up some groceries this morning, maybe I'll try them.
However, on the Friday I was daunted. The one bad thing about the otherwise awesome range of shops and restaurants in my neighbourhood is that a lot of the buildings are old - old enough to be built before certain accessibility codes.
Little Sister's is down a flight of stairs, with no kind of alterate access whatsoever. I had a stroller and bags of groceries.
I could have dealt with it easily with just JoJo and the umbrella stroller. (Take toddler out of stroller, hold his hand so he can walk down the stairs, ideally next to a railing, carry awesomely light stroller in other hand. Done.) JoJO and the grocery bags were dubious but plausible.
JoJO and grocery bags AND a coffee? Nope.
So Saturday, mid afternoon, mom and I stopped in. I got a latte with vanilla - the only flavour shot they have besides mocha, since they make their own syrup. They do foam doodles on every drink, and while we got fairly standard leaves and hearts that day, that's not all they do.
ZOMG WOW YUM.
Not as sweet as many flavoured lattes, but it didn't need it to cover the burnt taste in the grounds like Starbucks. Mom's only complaint was that the cup sizes were a bit smaller than one gets used to with chains, especially for her cappuccino.
I suspect I could drink a plain old coffee from them.
So Sunday I stopped in after church for another. I don't do lattes two days in a row.
***They made me a foam art swan.***
If the coffee weren't already some of the truly awesomest, that would definitely endear them to me. The only way they could have sold me more, artistic doodles-wise, would be to make me a peacock.
Just as well they're down stairs. I can't afford to do that as much as I would consider doing it.
(I was, mostly jokingly, wondering how they'd feel about a large donation of mint to make another syrup, since I just harvested our chocolate mint. Didn't ask them, though.)
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2) Little Squee #2: Colin and I will be going to Nathan Rogers Sings Stan Rogers on Nov 9th.
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3) My last two weeks were... interesting.
Mostly, this is someone else's story, so I'm going to leave some things unspecific.
Tuesday last week (As in 12 days ago, not 5), a friend of mine called me in the evening. She'd been having some ongoing health problems, and they had seemed to be worsening; she had been in consultation with her doctor about the symptoms, so this wasn't something she was neglecting. But when she called, she was in a serious crisis. As in, potentially life endangering.
I did what i could to help, but when her husband got home, it seemed as if the crisis point had passed for the moment, and she went to try to get some sleep. I was shaking and exhausted, but well, that's *pennies* compared to how she was feeling. But I had some hope things would be better with a night's rest.
No such luck. She woke to the same symptoms, and went to her doctor. He said, "You're going to the hospital."
She balked at being put in an ambulance (Which even we Canadians get charged a few hundred bucks to do), and since not only was her husband at work across town, they don't *have* a car. So she called mine. (Colin had some idea what was up the night before, since I told him the whole story.) Colin picked her up and took her to the hospital, and stayed with her all day and most of the evening, until visiting hours were done. Have I said my husband is an amazing guy? He is.
So we've been spending a fair bit of time since visiting, where possible (What with my time being limited by babysitting). Because her condition is more under control, they let us take her out to dinner a few times (The hospital food was reportedly dreadful - I didn't think it was dreadful in maternity when I was there but it was certainly not remotely worthy.) She got to go home for the weekend this week, and we'll be seeing her tomorrow, when she has to return for about 2 more days (We hope only that).
There's nothing good about the health crisis, or watching anyone one cares about going through such a thing. But I did consider it a plus that we got to see a lot more of her. (Her work schedule is mad.) Although we were less than exciting hosts the last time she was here for a visit.
______________
4) JoJo was having a fabulous week of outdoor park play, as the weather turned very nice for most of it. And besides, there were leaves!
However, on the Friday I was daunted. The one bad thing about the otherwise awesome range of shops and restaurants in my neighbourhood is that a lot of the buildings are old - old enough to be built before certain accessibility codes.
Little Sister's is down a flight of stairs, with no kind of alterate access whatsoever. I had a stroller and bags of groceries.
I could have dealt with it easily with just JoJo and the umbrella stroller. (Take toddler out of stroller, hold his hand so he can walk down the stairs, ideally next to a railing, carry awesomely light stroller in other hand. Done.) JoJO and the grocery bags were dubious but plausible.
JoJO and grocery bags AND a coffee? Nope.
So Saturday, mid afternoon, mom and I stopped in. I got a latte with vanilla - the only flavour shot they have besides mocha, since they make their own syrup. They do foam doodles on every drink, and while we got fairly standard leaves and hearts that day, that's not all they do.
ZOMG WOW YUM.
Not as sweet as many flavoured lattes, but it didn't need it to cover the burnt taste in the grounds like Starbucks. Mom's only complaint was that the cup sizes were a bit smaller than one gets used to with chains, especially for her cappuccino.
I suspect I could drink a plain old coffee from them.
So Sunday I stopped in after church for another. I don't do lattes two days in a row.
***They made me a foam art swan.***
If the coffee weren't already some of the truly awesomest, that would definitely endear them to me. The only way they could have sold me more, artistic doodles-wise, would be to make me a peacock.
Just as well they're down stairs. I can't afford to do that as much as I would consider doing it.
(I was, mostly jokingly, wondering how they'd feel about a large donation of mint to make another syrup, since I just harvested our chocolate mint. Didn't ask them, though.)
____________
2) Little Squee #2: Colin and I will be going to Nathan Rogers Sings Stan Rogers on Nov 9th.
________________
3) My last two weeks were... interesting.
Mostly, this is someone else's story, so I'm going to leave some things unspecific.
Tuesday last week (As in 12 days ago, not 5), a friend of mine called me in the evening. She'd been having some ongoing health problems, and they had seemed to be worsening; she had been in consultation with her doctor about the symptoms, so this wasn't something she was neglecting. But when she called, she was in a serious crisis. As in, potentially life endangering.
I did what i could to help, but when her husband got home, it seemed as if the crisis point had passed for the moment, and she went to try to get some sleep. I was shaking and exhausted, but well, that's *pennies* compared to how she was feeling. But I had some hope things would be better with a night's rest.
No such luck. She woke to the same symptoms, and went to her doctor. He said, "You're going to the hospital."
She balked at being put in an ambulance (Which even we Canadians get charged a few hundred bucks to do), and since not only was her husband at work across town, they don't *have* a car. So she called mine. (Colin had some idea what was up the night before, since I told him the whole story.) Colin picked her up and took her to the hospital, and stayed with her all day and most of the evening, until visiting hours were done. Have I said my husband is an amazing guy? He is.
So we've been spending a fair bit of time since visiting, where possible (What with my time being limited by babysitting). Because her condition is more under control, they let us take her out to dinner a few times (The hospital food was reportedly dreadful - I didn't think it was dreadful in maternity when I was there but it was certainly not remotely worthy.) She got to go home for the weekend this week, and we'll be seeing her tomorrow, when she has to return for about 2 more days (We hope only that).
There's nothing good about the health crisis, or watching anyone one cares about going through such a thing. But I did consider it a plus that we got to see a lot more of her. (Her work schedule is mad.) Although we were less than exciting hosts the last time she was here for a visit.
______________
4) JoJo was having a fabulous week of outdoor park play, as the weather turned very nice for most of it. And besides, there were leaves!
