Random Thoughts

Sometimes, we take for granted the little things that people do without asking why. Growing up, I was especially guilty of this. I was taught not to question adults, so I didn't, but it turned me into an especially curious adult. I was trying to get some ideas on how to finish up a commissioned necklace when I thought about how my Grandma used to make a salad.

I'm originally from Eastern NC, so we only ate salad if we were having steak or spaghetti. The rest of the times, it was collards or squash, or another veggie that had been picked fresh from the garden & frozen or canned...if we didn't just go out to the garden & chop it while it was still warm from the sun. Anyway, I digress. My Grandma couldn't & can't, eat iceberg lettuce, since that was pretty much the only kind of lettuce available to us most of the year, that's what everyone ate, (I'd never had green leafy lettuce until I was in college). Because she normally didn't eat lettuce, she used to cut up all of the veggies & put them in the bottom of the weathered wood salad bowls first. Right before serving, she would top all, but hers, with lettuce because she didn't want the lettuce to get soggy. I always thought my Grandma was a little 'different" because every other salad has the veggies on top of the lettuce. It wasn't until I was older that I realized what a brilliant idea this was & now I make my salads at home like this now. When the lettuce is on top, it gets massaged by the dressing while it trickles down to the chopped veggies. The way most other salads are made, the already moist veggies get the dressing & you end up with dry lettuce. Grandma, this salad's for you. Hey, I told you it was random thoughts.

Oh, the pic above is Brightleaf Square. It's an old tobacco warehouse that was converted into shops & restaurants. I took the pic while sitting on the porch of an unnamed "establishment". We have several old warehouses that have been converted to retail spaces, loft apartments, office spaces, etc. Great places, but very expensive.