Hello! And welcome to Coffee Klatsch! I’m Eppinese Estelle your hostess. I hope you are well.

Spring is here and just a quick update of planting days for May…Can it be? Already? How can this be? I’m just getting used to writing April and you want me to change? I’m still having trouble remembering that it is 2010!! I keep trying my best to put that zero first!

Planting dates: May 15 and May 30/ Moon is favorable May 15 and May 28

Good fishing days: May 13 through May 27.

123 new species have been discovered in Borneo…one is a frog with no lungs…they breathe through their skin.

On to the great salt controversy of 2010 – I’m a visual thinker so when I heard that the medical community wants to step in and reduce the salt in pre-packaged foods I immediately went visual and ran the movie of the Salt Police coming to your door and doing random searches. People meeting in alleys asking if they can score some sodium…okay I’m weird…

Some restaurants in New York, I have heard, are no longer placing salt shakers on the tables. It makes no difference…people in and of themselves are not at fault here! Individuals that salt their food at the table are around 20% of salt use.  The only thing that really scares me about this is the idea that the medical community is in charge of our lives to this extent. Didn’t we just get out of a near economic collapse when the banks were in charge?

A little history about salt: In the days of yore…and actually before, salt was considered pound for pound as precious as gold, hence the term: “Worth his weight in gold.” The Romans paid their soldiers partly in salt called a salarium, or in today’s English, salary. Medieval Europe was forever changed when fishermen were able to salt the cod caught off of North America’s Grand Banks so they would be preserved for sale in Europe!

I finally found a beautician that I think is going to be wonderful! As you can see I’ve shortened it up for the summer!  Yes, I actually found her salon! I’m getting pretty good at following directions! The part that really throws me for a loop is all the one-way streets! Whoa!!

Then…THEN, one of the one-way streets after a time changes directions! I found that out the hard way…Imagine driving thinking you are going to be able to get to your destination when you come to a 4-way stop. The traffic across from you on the same street you are on has suddenly changed direction and is now coming at you and you have to make a quick decision as to which way to go! ‘Cause you sure can’t go straight! (Although it did cross my mind.)

Oh man! There is nothing that says “newcomer” or stranger faster than having that moment of absolute panic on your face as you try to get your bearings with other cars waiting for you to go!!! That’s when you would dearly love to have a big sign that says, “Gimme a break! I’m new in town! I don’t know where I’m goin’!”