Not Just Trees

Fall Hedge, originally uploaded by Melsky.

It's not just the trees that change color in the fall. Ivy, hostas, bushes, hedges and shrubs do too.

It's Halloween and rainy. I never know how much candy to get. Last year I had to run out and get more candy but it was unseasonably warm. I didn't get that much this year and if we run out I'm just going to turn off the porch light. It's supposed to rain tonight and it's been rainy and stormy for a few days.

It's fall!

Fall Refections, originally uploaded by Melsky.

Yes, I have been neglecting my blog! I've been busy at work and busy at home too. I started painting again.

Fall is so lovely here, even this parking lot looks stunning.

Our office is moving to Little Italy and I like it a lot. It is the part of Syracuse that most feels like an old fashioned city with shops down below and apartments above. Its' in transition, with some empty storefronts, some fancy restaurants, and loft apartments.

Trouble

Today I decided to tidy up my indoor gardening/plant area. I went in the kitchen for a while and when I came back the cats were "helping".

I've been on a diet and exercise program - I am following a plan where I eat six small healthy meals six days a week, and work out for six days a week, three interval cardio days and three weight lifting days. Plus I get a free day where I don't work out and I can eat whatever I want. So I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Smorals which is on Avery street near my house.

I took photos and made notes and will write a review later in the week. But I did want to say that it's a really great place because I have noticed a lot of people searching for it and ending up at my blog because they don't have a web page. So this isn't a review but a recommendation - if you want a totally old school, inexpensive steak/pasta/seafood/chicken dinner, go to Smorals. They are friendly and have a full bar.

Summer Snowshovel

Summer Snowshovel, originally uploaded by Melsky.

Yes, I know you have flowers growing on you right now, and it's 90 degrees today and humid. But don't worry little snow shovel. Winter is never far away in Syracuse and soon you will be removing mountains of snow from my driveway.

Walking up Wilbur Street

You can see the spires of St. John's Ukrainian Catholic Church in the background.

Steve's or Beans - Tipp Hill's secret Mexican Restaurant - part one

Would you guess there was a Mexican Restaurant in there?

Last spring I went to a small get-together down the street from my house. We all lived in Tipp Hill and the talk turned to local eateries. Someone said there was a Mexican restaurant down the street. What? Yes, in a sports bar on Milton Street there is a secret Mexican restaurant and it's great. Wow.

So we went there the next Saturday. There's a bar and next to it is another door that looks more like a restaurant entrance. So we went in. Place was pretty deserted. "Can I help you?" says a man. We told him we were looking for the Mexican Restaurant. He is the owner and cook, named David. The restaurant is still there but only open on Thursday and Friday nights. He is nice enough to bring us a few samples of food while we have a drink at the sports bar.

Flash forward a couple of months and we go there with my friend Adina. First I called for reservations, as David recommended. We get there and sit down, the waitress is pleasant. We get our menus and order margaritas. They were good, not great on the rocks style margaritas. I'm not much of a margarita drinker so I just had one.

David (the cook) walks around the restaurant and he heard my friend Adina talking about vegetarian food. There's no vegetarian entrees on the menu except for quesadillas (grilled cheese sandwiches made with tortillas!) and he said he has a vegetarian special. So she got that. (Why is it not on the menu?) I can't remember what Dave and I had but it was good. Sorry, it's several months ago! But I did take some photos.Looking at these photos the food looks kind of terrible! But it was great.
You know you're in Syracuse when the Margarhitas come in Bud Light glasses!

My friend's vegetarian platter was tofu strips with tortillas, beans, rice etc. She really liked it.

Part 2

So it's August and we decide to try it again, just me and my husband. I called and asked if they had room for two people. Yes! Do we need to make a reservation? No! So we ambled on over there. We are seated right away. Then two large parties show up!

I'm a huge avocado fan, being a transplanted Califronian and all. I ws disapppointed they had just run out of guacamole. Oh well. I was super hungry so I ordered a quesadilla ($2.50) with just cheese, no meat. All the entrees come with your choice of pork or chicken or (secret) fried tofu which is not on the menu.

Since I'm not that into margaritas I got a glass of Pino Grigio and my husband got a glass of house red, which he said was exactly the kind of wine he wants as house red, not too sweet or dry.

The quesadillas came pretty quick. They were filled with a generous amount of mild cheddar and some type of spiciness- maybe a little chili powder. They came with a cup of salsa and a little scoop of sour cream, and they were pretty tasty. They disappeared pretty fast at any rate, and my husband doesn't eat cheese!

Steve's (Bean's) Mexican Cantina is in the back of a sports bar. The walls are fake wood panneling with numerous pictures - southweatern art, 1920s wedding photo, Mexican blanket, and photos of chili peppers. You basically know that you are in a New York State sportsbar from the Yankee game televised on the wall opposite, and the fact that everyone yells when the Yankees score or something happens in the game.

I got chicken enchilladas with a side of beans and corn. It comes with a salad bar too but the waitress didn't mention it to us and I forgot to ask until I was too full to have the salad bar so I guess we didn't need it anyway. It's not the greatest salad bar, lettuce, tomatoes and dressing in bottles from the supermarket. It would be easier just to do side salads.

Anyhow, back to our orders, my husband doesn't eat cheese or tomatoes. He asked for a burrito with only rice, beans, and pork, with a side order of salsa (yes I know salsa has tomatoes my husband is crazy). He asked for no sides or sauce. When his order came it was a regular burrito covered with red sauce and cheese. But it was no problem to send it back and his replacement came within a few minutes and the waitress could not have been nicer about it.

He was very happy and gave it high marks.

I enjoyed my enchiladas. I also liked the beans. But the corn and peppers side dish was canned corn, not my favorite. I still ate it though and enjoyed it.

The beans remind me of New Mexico Mexican food. They are pinto beans and have different spices than the beans I am used to from California.

I do miss Mexican food from California! This somewhat fills the need. The closest thing I have found to what I am used to is still Alto Cinco.

But I am really glad to have this place within walking distance to my house and will continue to go there.This is our dinner
(Quesadillas not available because I ate them before I remembered to take a photo!)

PS
I guess I should explain about BEANS. When I've told people about this place, some of them have corrected me. "Oh, you mean BEANS Mexican restaurant." And it does say BEANS on one of the walls. Several people have told me in no uncertain terms that the name of it is BEANS. But the menu says Steve's Cantina & Grill!

Me in our driveway

Me in our driveway, originally uploaded by Melsky.

So tired today.

Mostly I love my job, I enjoy property management and I like helping people find apartments and writing ads. But like any job today was a day where it all went wrong. Sometimes it is very frustrating. It's frustrating to open a refrigerator in an apartment that someone moved out of and a million baby cockroaches run out.

It's frustrating to show up to show people apartments and they don't show up or call. Then the one person who does show up, it's a building where the resident manager changed the locks and didn't give me keys. Of course it's someone who seems like they would be a great tenant, and I can't even get them in to look at it.

It's frustrating to find someone for an apartment who seems really nice and as soon as they move in they start playing music really loud and having lots of coming and going in the building.

Sigh.

Every neighbor in that building has complained about her. The thing is she seemed really nice and was talking about how she wanted to live there and get a job and save up money and how much she loved the apartment and was politely thanking me and the housing advocate for getting her into the apartment. The next thing we know she's calling us up and screaming obscenities.

I had some idea that she was going to be a problem because she wanted to hug me after signing the lease. So far, everyone that has tried to hug me upon signing a lease has turned out to be a big, big problem. Everyone who wanted to hug me after signing the lease has been evicted or is about to be evicted, or has gotten many complaints.

I don't like it when people want to hug me after signing the lease. That makes me so uncomfortable. It's a business transaction. I will hug my friends and family but I don't want to hug people with whom I have a strictly business relationship.

Then I had a lease signing at the end of the day. She tried to hug me!

I am so tired today.