Feelings about entertaining/socializing

When do you think you'll be coming through Ohio?
I don’t know at the moment because plans are on hold due to the dementor! I kind of need to be around for the transition part of her care.
The original plan was spring time 2025 but that may get changed to autumn. The planning has gone on hold at the moment.

Does it make a difference? Or are you flexible?
 
I don’t know at the moment because plans are on hold due to the dementor! I kind of need to be around for the transition part of her care.
The original plan was spring time 2025 but that may get changed to autumn. The planning has gone on hold at the moment.

Does it make a difference? Or are you flexible?
Mostly just curiosity and yes I'm flexible, though we do sometimes take trips to the SE coast in spring and fall. But I'd really like to meet you in person! I do understand that family matters take precedence of course.
 
When I know you’ll know, a bit cup of tea would be nice I think 👍
Actually Cincinnati is on our path when we travel to the South Carolina beach area...we live about 3 hours NW of TR's area. Although even if we aren't traveling to SC, I can always find a reason to head down to SE OH and perhaps the tip of Kentucky. Do you drink bourbon?

Also wanted to let you know you might need to pack gobs of your favorite tea as in the US it's rather limited, most Americans like coffee better than tea. You probably already knew that.
 
Actually Cincinnati is on our path when we travel to the South Carolina beach area...we live about 3 hours NW of TR's area. Although even if we aren't traveling to SC, I can always find a reason to head down to SE OH and perhaps the tip of Kentucky. Do you drink bourbon?

Also wanted to let you know you might need to pack gobs of your favorite tea as in the US it's rather limited, most Americans like coffee better than tea. You probably already knew that.
I drink most things, not fond of shots for obvious reasons 😂
I never travel anywhere without plenty of tea, for me a trip would be ruined if there wasn't enough tea!

My geography of America is not great non existent. Probably better to look at it after the approximate time scale and route plan is down.
 
I drink most things, not fond of shots for obvious reasons 😂
I never travel anywhere without plenty of tea, for me a trip would be ruined if there wasn't enough tea!

My geography of America is not great non existent. Probably better to look at it after the approximate time scale and route plan is down.
Yes, I am sure many of us would be fascinated to know which cities/regions you plan to visit, and at least would love to know your launching and end points!

I remember that you arrived in Spain without sufficient tea and were on the border of having a meltdown...LOL!
 
Yes, I am sure many of us would be fascinated to know which cities/regions you plan to visit, and at least would love to know your launching and end points!

I remember that you arrived in Spain without sufficient tea and were on the border of having a meltdown...LOL!
I’m still having therapy for that near miss 😂
 
I remember that you arrived in Spain without sufficient tea and were on the border of having a meltdown...LOL!

I’m still having therapy for that near miss 😂

Don’t worry…if there’s some tea tragedy, we can always top you up at Jungle Jim’s…or my house, as the choice is nearly as good (actually, I do have a couple of English tea varieties that JJ’s doesn’t carry! :laugh: ). :wink:
 
:laugh: :laugh:
I can't understand why folks get so uptight about a lunch or a dinner. I mean, the whole idea is to enjoy yourselves, isn't it? We've had people turn up at home just to drop something off, or chat about something, and then a bottle comes out, time goes on and off I toddle to the kitchen and whip up a dish of pasta. Pasta takes about 30 minutes, start to finish, and I do everything (except the pasta) from scratch. Given that a majority seem to use shop bought sauce, that brings the time down to about 20 minutes. What's the hassle?
When we were in the UK in 2022, it took literally MONTHS to meet up with our old friends. Every excuse under the sun (I've got to take the hamster to the vet; I'm looking after next door's orchid plant; it might rain that day; I think my husband's got to collect his new glasses) as if we weren't actually welcome. With one friend, we managed a whole weekend and I cooked up a curry with 6 different dishes. Took me a whole morning, yes, but I did it because I wanted to, not because I had to.
One friend made so many excuses that I just gave up. Perhaps he really didn't want to see me.
For some of us it amounts to not having anyone competent to help out. My husband is not great in the kitchen and I usually just don't bother asking him to help because he gets annoyed. My adult children rarely offer to help when we have the family over because they are busy socializing. It's stressful to have to pull off a meal for 10 people with no one helping, and people want another drink, or a bottle of wine needs opening, etc. all while I'm trying to cook.
 
we've done small to large family stuff - parents+grandparents+kids - to 'office Christmas parties' - ~50, including spouses. had to push the furniture back to the walls, rent tables&chairs, enclose the porch in plastic for 'more room' type thing.

planning required, written time schedule required . . . but it's never soared to "State Dinner" level of perfection-or-insult . . .
one thing absent in our adventures has been the bar scene. simple stuff like DIY wine and beer - never needed an "expert" mixologist.

the other issue methinks is careful thought about the menu. serving everyone a chocolate souffle with melting mint-choc ice cream . . . that'll work for six - for 50? insane idea unless you have a full pro kitchen staff backing you up from a semi-trailer portable kitchen....

timing and reminders are extremely important - hosting makes for busy! easy to forget things . . .
I wrote a program for the laptop - hit the 'they're here' button and it would then beep at the specified time for the required activity.
the prime rib was done well in advance, but for example broiling up salmon steaks was time-spaced out so they would be hot-on-need, blab blab blab . . .
BEEP - light sternos for hotel pans
. . .
BEEP - start broil first batch
. . .
BEEP - check wine / beer stock
. . .
BEEP - remove ice cream from freezer to soften
BEEP - start the coffee
 
we've done small to large family stuff - parents+grandparents+kids - to 'office Christmas parties' - ~50, including spouses. had to push the furniture back to the walls, rent tables&chairs, enclose the porch in plastic for 'more room' type thing.

planning required, written time schedule required . . . but it's never soared to "State Dinner" level of perfection-or-insult . . .
one thing absent in our adventures has been the bar scene. simple stuff like DIY wine and beer - never needed an "expert" mixologist.

the other issue methinks is careful thought about the menu. serving everyone a chocolate souffle with melting mint-choc ice cream . . . that'll work for six - for 50? insane idea unless you have a full pro kitchen staff backing you up from a semi-trailer portable kitchen....

timing and reminders are extremely important - hosting makes for busy! easy to forget things . . .
I wrote a program for the laptop - hit the 'they're here' button and it would then beep at the specified time for the required activity.
the prime rib was done well in advance, but for example broiling up salmon steaks was time-spaced out so they would be hot-on-need, blab blab blab . . .
BEEP - light sternos for hotel pans
. . .
BEEP - start broil first batch
. . .
BEEP - check wine / beer stock
. . .
BEEP - remove ice cream from freezer to soften
BEEP - start the coffee
Did you do that all by yourself? I have no one to help. Not even with the dishes after. And I get rather resentful when hubby will invite people over without even asking me if the date/time works. There have been times when I was working the day he invited 4-6 family members over for dinner and I wasn't going to be home until sometime after 4 pm--and he would tell the guests to come at 6, which gave me no time to prep and clean the same day, had to be done the day before which meant sometimes I was scrubbing the guest restroom at 10 pm the night before.
 
Did you do that all by yourself? I have no one to help. Not even with the dishes after. And I get rather resentful when hubby will invite people over without even asking me if the date/time works. There have been times when I was working the day he invited 4-6 family members over for dinner and I wasn't going to be home until sometime after 4 pm--and he would tell the guests to come at 6, which gave me no time to prep and clean the same day, had to be done the day before which meant sometimes I was scrubbing the guest restroom at 10 pm the night before.
I wouldn’t be amused by that.
If it was a necessary thing that happened often enough I’d have to strike some sort of deal where he did the cleaning (yes you’d probably have to go over it but it would be quicker) and some freezer stash dish was served.

I still wouldn’t like it though!
 
I wouldn’t be amused by that.
If it was a necessary thing that happened often enough I’d have to strike some sort of deal where he did the cleaning (yes you’d probably have to go over it but it would be quicker) and some freezer stash dish was served.

I still wouldn’t like it though!
Well if he did an adequate job at cleaning that might work, but he doesn't see well and I will just have to redo it. But no, he learned to check with me or I would be sullen for days afterwards. He finally figured it out.
 
Well if he did an adequate job at cleaning that might work, but he doesn't see well and I will just have to redo it. But no, he learned to check with me or I would be sullen for days afterwards. He finally figured it out.
If they never have to actually do the work they never see it as work because they don’t grasp what’s involved.
So it really is no big deal to them to invite X amount of people over at the last minute, whats the big deal?!!!
Heyho!
 
If they never have to actually do the work they never see it as work because they don’t grasp what’s involved.
So it really is no big deal to them to invite X amount of people over at the last minute, whats the big deal?!!!
Heyho!
Funny, one time it was just the two of us and I had made an elaborate meal that required lots of bowls, utensils, etc. during prepping. Normally I clean as I go, but this one time I did not...and after dinner he said, "Whoa, where did all of these dirty dishes come from?" He was truly astonished. I guess he never noticed over the past 25 years that normally most, if not all, of the prep bowls/pots/pans were washed while I was cooking dinner, as I am great at multi-tasking. I explained it to him, and he marveled at how the drying rack was able to hold them all (I wash a lot of stuff by hand like pots and pans, knives, or something I am going to need again soon), and I laughed and explained that I dried them with a clean dish towel and put them away :laugh:
 
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