I Heart Rainy Days

Sun go away, just for a few days. Bring on the rain...it just feels so much cozier. Where will you find me?

Perhaps at my favorite Irish pub, PJ Finnegan's, in Westwood, New Jersey.

Of course, I'd be having my favorite Irish beverage: Magners cider, $5.

And feasting on some veg pub grub: a portobello mushroom burger with roasted red peppers on focaccia bread, with a mesclun salad, $8.95.

I will definitely have the kettle on. A good "cuppa" does wonders for the soul.


Whenever rainy weather strikes, it always feels like a good "Tea and Sympathy day" - one of my favorite haunts in New York City. I used to work nearby, and would eat like a queen. Visits here now are less frequent, but just as cherished.

Cream tea: a pot of tea, my choice, their Rosie Lee (half English Breakfast, half Earl Grey) with scones, clotted cream and strawberry preserves, $10.75.


I think Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet!) would approve. My parents introduced me to the campy Keeping Up Appearances, a witty British comedy from 1990-1995, which reruns on public television regularly. I've admittedly seen every one of her crazy candlelight supper antics, and when viewing the sad state of television today often think, they don't make them like this anymore.

Maybe I'll be making a pot of soup, listening to some Celtic music, like WFUV's A Thousand Welcomes archives, watching a DVD from the library, or reading a thrifted or library book under a blanket. Almost certainly, I will hope for a nap, and if home, be indulging in one.

All these things make me wish for the rain to linger just a bit longer.

Weekend Rating? An "A"

Remember this planter from December? It was destined for a landfill. It is now filled with pansies from Old Hook Farm. One of many springtime weekend delights.


A dinner of a veggie burger with sauteed mushrooms and mesclun salad at my favorite Irish pub, PJ Finnegan's.



Followed by Friday night with Jamie. Follow the Food Revolution. I loved when he pointed out: carb, carb, protein, where are the veggies? Vegans and vegetarians are often asked where their protein comes from, but I often wonder about people's fruit and vegetable intake. And thank you Jamie, French fries as a vegetable? No.

Saturday thrifting...

I asked the thrift universe for a dress for an upcoming dinner dance I'm attending, and it delivered. A pleated Laundry dress, $22, from Revived Attire, a lovely consignment shop in Hillsdale, NJ.

I found a similar Laundry dress online, which was "on sale" for $240 from its $300 price. I think I got the better deal.


I admired this sweet little sailor dress, just $11. It was a small, not my size. I have too many dresses anyway!

I didn't try this on, $35. But how cute would this be on a hot August night with some strappy sandals?

Cute shoes! Just, $11, and vegan. Many people won't even consider second-hand shoes, but I don't have any qualms about it. Scarier to me? That people eat meat daily, many at every meal, from animals raised in factory farms.


I popped by C.A.T.S. Resale Shop to make a donation. I couldn't resist picking up a set of four little blue plates made in England, a steal at just $5 total. These types of plates bring me back to my childhood visiting my grandparents in Switzerland.



Outdoor reading weather is here! All their paperbacks are just 50 cents.

Much like my eyes are sometimes bigger than my stomach, my reading roster is pretty lofty. I can always pass it on to the book swap if I can't get to it.


Date night with my sweetie. We've been eating in - a lot. So we headed to Jersey Boys Grill, a local family restaurant. I love their thin crust grilled vegetable pizza, hold the cheese, $9.95.

We took an invigorating four-mile walk in sunny, mild weather. Spot the deer?

And of course, Easter. Isn't this crocheted chick adorable? A classmate in French brought them in for our class. I love random acts of kindness.


Vegan offerings on the Easter menu: Red leaf salad with beets, puff pastry shells with portabella mushrooms and tofu, and grilled asparagus and red peppers. To finish...

Strawberry rhubarb pie from Old Hook Farm. No dairy in my chick creamer - it's filled with Trader Joe's soy creamer.


I like to savor not just the weekends, but little joys each day. Check out Angela's "Continuous Small Treats" for a happy life on My Year Without Spending.

Twas an Irish Kind of Weekend

The cold, blustery weather called me to my favorite pub: PJ Finnegan's in Westwood, New Jersey. The soundtrack for the drive? A Thousand Welcomes, every Saturday on WFUV.

I sat in the cozy corner...

...near a very stylish lady.

A glass of my favorite Irish brew: Magners cider, $5.

Want to visit a real pub in Ireland, and have no travel partner? Consider a group tour. I saw and fell in love with the country in my twenties doing just that. I went with CIE Tours.

I browsed in Irish Eyes Imports, which just relocated from Ridgewood to Westwood (162 Westwood Avenue).

I dreamt I was inside one of these colorful cottages by the sea.

Of course, I would be reading something fabulous under a blanket with a pot of tea, jam and...

Irish soda bread.

We hear a lot about local food, but also important, is supporting local downtown restaurants, cinemas and shops. "Store Closing" signs are far too common a sight in America today. I think of Bruce Springsteen's words in My Hometown, "Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores. Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more." When spending hard-earned dollars, I try to patronize main street options most often instead of the mall, the latter which does little to foster a community spirit.


For DVD's, Neflix: good; Redbox, great; library: amazing. I watched a free copy of P.S. I Love You, with stunning scenery of the Emerald Isle, from my local library.

I loved that Hillary Swank's character shopped for her stylish fashions on eBay and its message of finding again that spirited, hopeful person we were before becoming jaded. But I loved most the reflection made by Harry Connick Jr.'s character, "We're so arrogant, aren't we? We're so afraid to age. We do everything we can to prevent it. But we don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old." Wise words in an age of bad Botox and an obsession with turning back the clock. Here's to looking forward with a grateful heart. Wrinkles and all.

While Many Americans Were at the Mall...

I was nowhere near it. I spent a relaxing day off from work browsing local thrift shops, eating a cozy lunch with my parents, and hanging out with their rescue doggy.

I passed by the This-n-That Thrift Shop in Hillsdale, so I popped in. They were having a 50% off sale. These tea lights were just 25 cents!

Snow boots, half off were $4.50. Super cute with my $5 C.A.T.S. Resale Shop jeans, my new white romantic top from Beautiful Little Secret, and...

the Cameo I eyed at Revived Attire (just steps away from This-n-That). It was still there. Yeah! Just $4. I also scored these hardcover books at the C.A.T.S. store for $1 each. Their combined retail value, $50! I just can't get into ebooks. I don't want to curl up with a Kindle.

Lunch time! On a blustery December day, PJ Finnegan's in Westwood was packed.


Want to peek inside?


When I step in here, I feel like I'm transported back to Dublin.


I would have loved to linger over a pint of Magners cider. Too bad I was the driver. I don't drink often, so I figured, best not. Safety first!


Vegetarian and vegan options are few. I asked for a vegetarian plate sautéed in olive oil and onions and garlic. Love the woodsy, fragrant rosemary. My kind of pub grub! The plate: $7.50.


How I adore books, and music. I can't imagine my world without either.


The shopping I did this year? Charitable gifts for residents in need and food for a church pantry, and 12 holiday cards for $1 from Our Thrift Shop in Westwood. I also made charitable monetary donations and tipped my mailman, although I don't have much mail. That's it!

It's easy to think maybe Lucy on A Charlie Brown Christmas was right: "Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big Eastern syndicate, you know?"

It's not about being Scrooge-like. It's about rejecting this ridiculous societal pressure to spend ourselves into debt and to think showing someone you care about them means buying something. "I love you" doesn't mean sending relatives, friends and sweethearts to the mall. I got a card and a small gift from someone last Christmas, but the thoughtful sentiments on the card meant more than any gift. I still have that card.

My loved ones and I agreed no gifts this year, and we couldn't be more relieved. If we want something, we can buy it ourselves. Why is our economy so dependent on people buying gifts, many of which are unwanted and that many cannot afford? We'd rather do non-material things: go out for a nice, reasonable meal at local restaurant or see a film at the town cinema, both of which support the economy just as much as some sweater purchase. Even more frugal, spending time at the park with the dog when the temperature allows or sharing a meal or a cup of tea at home.

Cate from Budget Confessions says, "One evening right before Christmas, we get into the car (prepared with warm clothes and hot chocolate), turn on some Christmas music, and drive around our favorite neighborhoods looking at lights." Love it! These simple, pleasurable moments are what the holidays are all about to me. The gifts are best left for those in need and children.

Enjoy the seaon!

Not Dublin...But Close Enough

I love cozy Irish pubs, especially on a blustery winter day. One of my favorites is PJ Finnegan's in Westwood, New Jersey. Their vegetarian offerings are few, but I never tire of their veggie burger, topped with sauteed mushrooms and served with a side salad ($8.95).

PJ Finnegan's, 274 Fairview Avenue.

Since I've gone vegan, their rice pudding is off-limits. When you become vegan, you can't always eat what you used to where you might have in the past, and likely may have to make it yourself. But I find this a small sacrifice. Mercy for Animals' ChooseVeg site offers a vegan brown rice pudding recipe.

Westwood has a cute, affordable downtown area. I like to support the "mom and pop" establishments as much as possible. I don't want to live in a world of WalMarts. Find friendly service at Shaw's Book Shop (179 Westwood Ave.); check out Music Merchants (157 Westwood Ave.) for CDs, including a descent used section; and Fabulous Finds for women's designer consignment clothes (186 Center Ave., next to the movie theater).

One of my favorite Irish bands (and most photogenic!), The Corrs.