Pub Onions and Tower Bells

Aging and our response to daily issues brings an appreciation not only for the finer things in life but also those things that make life comforting and enjoyable. Both Le Conteur and I enjoy good eating, fine cooking, and respectable wine and zesty condiments to perk up the tongue. On our trips abroad we discovered English Pub Onions with their distinctive crisp crunch, malty flavor and dark vinegar pickling tang and since really good pickled onions are hard to find in the center of the country we are always alert to new sources of pub onions and other flavorful additions to our meals.

Last week Le Conteur discovered that the last of our imported Pub Onions were fast disappearing and commenced searching the web to find a local source. It came as no surprise to find that there is an English store in nearby Leavenworth. After all Fort Leavenworth is host to hundreds of foreign military students each year at the Command and General Staff College and other advanced schools located at what is the oldest military post west of the Mississippi. It was an easy drive to find the store, buy out their stock and order a case of condiment goodies for future consumption.

After we had dented the exchequer we decided to wander the streets of Leavenworth, which proudly proclaims itself to be the oldest city in Kansas and has lots of specialty and antique stores to prove it. We did found one likely looking store that had a French writing desk in the window. We are not search of a desk, but the store looked interesting so we wandered through their stock. To our surprise (and subsequent impact on the wallet) we found a not quite antique Westminster Chime Mantel Clock hidden behind some other furniture. The price was acceptable the clock is in great shape and we now can hear church bells chiming the hours. The sounds of the older chiming clocks reminds us of slower, friendlier times and of family who are no longer here but who listened with us as our younger selves grew to appreciate what earlier generations have passed on to us.

This has been a week of remembrance and loss (an earlier blog note talks about losing a pet) and too soon we will find ourselves responding to demands on our time. So our search for zesty condiments turned into a long term opportunity for the enjoyment of music that measures time and helps us cope with the pressures of daily living by reminding us to slow down and enjoy the day.