Someone Watching Over Us

It has been a tough month, with Jenn’s mom Martha passing away and the stress of work and supporting the kids through the end of school, so Jenn and I decided to take advantage of the kids being in school and going away together.  So we got into the car and headed down to that quiet town of Cooperstown. 

Cooperstown is located on Lake Otsego, so we let Garmin help us blaze a different path there down Country Road 31 which runs down the eastern side of the lake and offers some beautiful views.  We’ve always liked the little park on the lake, so we made time to take a walk and simply talk without all the distractions that we usually have.  It was gorgeous.  We then walked Main Street, checking out the shops and reminiscing about the time we had brought Ed and Martha here after the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007 (and before the Phillies won in 2008), catching part of a game at Doubleday Field.  We had a nice morning, but it was time for lunch, and off to the café at Brewery Ommegang (http://www.ommegang.com).

Ommegang had added a café a couple years back to go along with their beer production and brewery tours.  They recently added a patio, and Jenn and I sat back and relaxed.  First the beer; I had a goblet of Gnomegang to enjoy the afternoon, a collaboration brew with Belgian brewer La Chouffe using a combination of the yeasts from each brewery.  This strong Belgian Pale Ale at 9.5% ABV, it went well with my cheese and meat plate.  I tried the Jersey Girl (a raw milk Colby) and Gorgonzola (always got to have a bit of bleu) cheeses, as well as the Calabrese, a spicy salami made with Sangiovese wine.  What a great meal.  Jenn got the Chicken Cordon Bleu crepe and was quite impressed.  For dessert, we tried the Pick Me Up crepe, coffee cardamom ice cream, whipped cream and fudge sauce.  It put us both in our happy place.

We decided to take a different way home, letting Garmin steer the way.  However, I found myself ignoring the device knowing that if I followed a particular route it would get me back (not the most direct or quickest, but we were not in a hurry).  We were rewarded with full fields of purple and white flowers on both sides of the road.  It was breathtaking!  Purple was the favorite color of Martha and we had purple and white flowers at her Memorial service, so we knew it was a sign that Mom was okay, and that we were going to be fine.  You have to be open to these signs, for God is always talking to us.  As Matthew Perry learned in “Fools Rush In,” there are signs everywhere; you just have to be aware enough to see them. – 6046/12421

“A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her.” - W.C. Fields