Category / obsession

by Kelly Mattei

All This Drone Talk…

All this drone talk reminds me of the 1970s, when we were obsessed with UFOs, or spaceships/flying saucers. Maybe everyone wasn’t obsessed with them, but it sure seemed like it when I was a little girl. I was terrified I might actually see one, and then, there was a high school bonfire.

I went to the TR Miller High School bonfire in Brewton, Alabama, with my neighbor friend, Allyson, and her family. I’m not sure what year it was, but it was probably the fall of 1974, which means I was seven years old. Allyson had an older brother who played on the football team, and I was lucky she invited me to the bonfire with her. Her mom drove us there in her two-tone, gray and black Buick (it was the first car I ever rode in that had electric windows!), and we were having a great time, when suddenly, as I remember it, things got a little crazy. I don’t know if a helicopter flew over, or if someone just pretended they saw a flying saucer, but it seemed people were screaming, “UFO! UFO!” To me, it seemed like everyone started running. My memory could be skewed. I was just seven years old, after all, and honestly, someone might have just played a trick on us. When things got crazy, Allyson and I ran to her mother’s car and dove into the back seat. It seems her brother eventually came to the car and rode shotgun, and Allyson and I talked about UFOs all the way home. I feel sure I went inside telling my family about the UFO at the bonfire and how we had heard someone say UFOs liked bonfires. I was seven. Someone did say that, and of course, I believed it, because why wouldn’t some Martians want to hang out at a high school bonfire in Brewton, Alabama? There are a lot of nice people in Brewton, and back then, there was Bracken’s Big R Restaurant, where you could get a great burger or some fried chicken. It would have been worth the trip for some Martians, for sure.

I’m not saying these drones aren’t real. I believe drones could be flying over us, and I have no idea who would be piloting them. I know that, a couple of years ago, a drone flew over my backyard while I was out there at night. It wasn’t one of these big drones they’re talking about now. It was a small drone someone probably got for Christmas. It was likely just someone from another house in the neighborhood, but it gave me the heebie geebies that someone was watching me in my own backyard. I went inside promptly.

I read today on the Next Door app that people in Charlotte are saying they are seeing the big, SUV-sized drones. Some have even posted some pretty impressive, believable videos. Maybe there are massive drones hovering overhead suburban South Charlotte? I guess anything is possible. We do, however, live in a city with a pretty busy airport, so there are lots of planes landing and taking off all the time. Just last night, I was driving down the winding Elm Lane and saw a bright light overhead. Once I got to the traffic light, I looked at my FlightAware app and saw it was just a plane coming in from Pittsburgh. In fact, I spend a lot of time outdoors on the patio at night, checking out the stars, the satellites, and yes, the airplanes, and so far, I haven’t seen a drone as big as an SUV. One night, however, I did freak out a little when there was something with blinking lights flying overhead making a whirring sound. Even our Doberman was freaked out! Finally, after standing there watching for a minute or two, I realized it was a blimp. It was difficult to identify in the dark until it was directly overhead.

Right now, I’m still waiting to see a drone as big as an SUV hovering overhead. I’m not sure I want to see one, but if one appears, I’m sure I will react much like Allyson and I did in 1974. I will run for my life!

by Kelly Mattei

Obsessed with Charcuterie

Obsessed with charcuterie.

A friend and her husband came over for cocktails on our patio last week. I told her beforehand that I was going to make us a special summer cocktail, and she said she would bring a charcuterie board. I told her it wasn’t necessary, but secretly, I was excited about it!

I’ll get the cocktail information out of the way first, because I know you’re wondering. Back in March, I traveled to Miami with my teenage daughter and some of her friends for Spring Break. A friend of mine met us there with her daughter, and a good time was had by all. On the last night of vacation, we dined at a restaurant called Ocean Grill at The Setai. The atmosphere was lovely at this beachside restaurant, and when I looked at the drink menu, I was thrilled to see a Frozen Bellini. Of course, I ordered it, and it was fantastic. I remembered that when I was thinking of cocktail recipes, and I looked it up. I found the recipe at orwhateveryoudo.com. You can see it here. I went exactly by the recipe, but when I served them, I added a little more ginger ale when I added the prosecco…just to sweeten it a bit more. And they were almost as good as the ones at Ocean Grill.

So my friend and her husband arrived with a giant charcuterie board in tow! I couldn’t believe it when she walked in! She had made a lovely arrangement of cheeses, meats, crackers, fruit, and chocolate. Wow! I couldn’t dig in fast enough! We sat out by the pool, enjoying our Frozen Bellinis and the charcuterie board (and watching the parade of coyotes!).

And as usual, I became obsessed.

My friend told me Crate & Barrel has a large assortment of charcuterie boards, but I didn’t have time to go there last week, so I ordered one from Amazon. To see the one I ordered, click here. While I waited for it to arrive, I went grocery shopping. My friend said she gets great ingredients at Trader Joe’s, which is just around the corner from my house, but I can’t bring myself to go, because the parking is so bad, so I went to another local grocery store that has plenty of parking. I wandered around the store looking for the perfect ingredients…cheeses, crackers, bread, nuts, meats, fruits, olives, and chocolate.

As usual, my life should be a sitcom, because here’s what happened: I got home with all the groceries and put them away. My husband and I decided to go for a walk. We often go for walks in the evenings…usually just two miles, but it’s something we enjoy. We got about a half mile from our house when one of her friends drove up. I asked, “What are you doing here?” And she told us she was on her way to our house. What?!?! Apparently, our daughter was still out with other friends but told her friend she could go on to our house. No big deal, but we cut our walk short, got into the car with her, and went back home. It was then she told us two more friends were on their way. We love having our daughter’s friends over, so that was absolutely fine with us.

The other two friends arrived and promptly announced they were hungry. One asked, “Do you have any pepperoni and cheese?” They know I usually keep that as an easy snack, so I got out some of the pepperoni and cheese I had purchased for my soon-to-be-made charcuterie board. Another one opened the pantry and grabbed the nuts and crackers. The third girl? She grabbed the prosciutto and mozzarella I had purchased. My husband, knowing I had just purchased everything for the board, just looked at me and laughed. The pepperoni supply was completely depleted, and the cheese? Well, there wasn’t enough left to work with.

I didn’t even get to make my planned charcuterie board, but I was thrilled the girls enjoyed everything I had purchased. There’s nothing I love more than having my daughter’s friends over. Young energy is a good thing. I remember when my own mother loved seeing my friends arrive at our house. Even when my friend, Angela, came over to her house when we were both 50, my mother thought the laughter we shared was the greatest sound ever. Since our daughter is a teenager, I totally get it now.

I’m still totally obsessed with making charcuterie boards. I will make another trip to the grocery store later today. I know my daughter will have friends over at some point this week, and I will be prepared with a beautiful charcuterie board. It will have all those same ingredients I know they love, and hopefully, they will devour everything.

I will stand back and smile while trying to think of new ingredients for the next charcuterie board.