1. Are you playing the new Pokémon GO game? I usually don’t play phone, computer, or any type of video games, but I did download this free game on my phone having watched the cartoon when I was younger, and I have to admit, it’s consumed a large part of my weekend. On the bright side, I’ve gotten a lot more exercise by running around trying to catch the Pokémon. On the downside, it’s been time-consuming and a few times I’ve been so engrossed in the game that I’ll just walk into the street without looking.
It is quite amusing seeing just how many people are playing it. Every time we’re near a hub and I glance up, and there are several other people holding their phones playing the game.
2. Here are a few photos from my garden. Our garden isn’t doing quite as well this year due to the watering restrictions in California, but I have a few new things growing. We’ve had a strawberry guava tree in our yard for a few years, but this is the first year it has blooms. I managed to capture the first bloom. It’s had several more since this photo.
I added Japanese eggplant to my garden this year and this is the first one. This photo is a few weeks old, it’s now about three times the size.
3. I just finished watching I’ll Have What Phil’s Having on Netflix, and it’s been one of my favorite food show series. The episodes introduce some of the best foods and restaurants to try in various cities, following the adventures of Phil Rosenthal. Phil Rosenthal is the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, and much like that series (one of my personal favorite shows), he is humorous and relatable. He loves food and has a great deal of knowledge, but he’s not an expert and so not nearly as intimidating. He’s the kind of person I imagine that I would love to eat with and all the places he features on his shows are places that I either went to or were on my list. I keep telling my husband “I want to eat with Phil!”
4. One of my dear younger cousins recently got married in Taiwan. I was not able to attend, but my aunt gifted me their beautiful engagement cookie gifts which were given to close family and friends. They are Akai Bohshi cookies. It’s a Japanese company and while they have different sets and boxes, it always features a girl in a red hat. This particular box is the red box set which is often chosen for the engagement gifts. The box holding the cookies is so beautiful. And the cookies!! I’ve had similar assorted cookie boxes before, but not like this. Usually, there are only a few I like in the assortment, but I liked every one of these so much. They are all very well made, high quality and delicious. I also like that each cookie is clearly labeled on the packaging so you don’t have to guess what they are.
5. Cotton candy grapes came early this year, though this is by another company. The Grapery is the original company that introduced cotton candy grapes and theirs don’t come out until mid-August (I know because I’ve marked it in my calendar from last year). But this year, I found cotton candy grapes from Divine Flavor. I bought mine at Sprouts, but I’ve seen people find them at other markets as well.
I have to say though, I don’t like these quite as much as the ones from The Grapery. These are more tart and they don’t really give me that initial burst of cotton candy flavor. Perhaps I should have chosen ones that were a little less green and more yellow.
That’s it for now! I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
We overheard a girl this weekend telling her friends, “I’m going Pokemon hunting”! TC was explaining to me what that was about. Oh gosh, I already read on the news that some people were lured by robbers and mugged. My friend’s kid (and now him, the dad) are obsessed. I hope no one gets run over by a car or falls off a cliff while doing this game.
I’ll check Hogetsu this weekend to see if they have that red box. I want to compare their price to Amazon. I saw the other colored boxes on Amazon and the contents. They all look good but the red one seems to be like the “deluxe” box with the most variety of cookies. Now I’m curious about this because I know I’ve seen it before but never thought about what was in it.
I read about the muggings, so scary! I’ve also read about car accidents and apparently two people did fall off a cliff in Encinitas. It is a fun concept and a great way to get kids out and exercising this summer, but I think they will need to figure out some safety measures soon.
I want to know the price of the red box at Hogetsu if they have it! Yes, the red one seems to be the one that has everything. I think it’s the one that is gifted most often for engagements.
Pretty garden pictures; I love Phil’s show too – and never heard of /seen that box of cookies. Interesting. Thanks for sharing weekend ramblings.
I hadn’t seen the cookies before either, though a friend of mine said she recognized the box and had seen it at a Hogetsu bakery in San Diego. And I actually found it on Amazon after, but it’s quite expensive! I’m guessing some of that cost is because it’s coming from Japan.