FriendshipDayCheescakeDayMORE

August 3rd was International Friendship Day and I celebrated it with three friends having lunch aboard the River Lady on Tom's River and then riding the ski lift along the beach at Seaside Heights - a great way to spend the day. Coincidentally the dessert that day was cheesecake.

Also, July 30 was National Cheesecake Day and I cannot praise the Phily Diner more highly - theirs is light, fluffy, flavorful and the best cheesecake I have ever eaten and I've had home-made in Germany!  The Phily Diner is on Black Horse Pike just beyond Clement's Bridge Rd. at Barrington.  Although cheesecake originated in Greece, and is famous in France AND Italy, and has a version invented in our own New York, I always connect cheesecake with Germany, maybe it is my ancestry.  The cheese they use in Germany is called quark (pronounced Kvok) and it is a version of ricotta.

Most recently, I had the adventure of searching out the graves of the aforementioned German ancestors in Philadelphia, Pa. at New Cathedral Cemetery at 2nd and Luzerne Sts.  We stopped in a local bakery on the way, my sister Susan and I, for almond coffee cake and seeded rye bread.  We found our ancestor's graves, sadly unmarked by stone or marker, but close by a handsome and ancient tree and near a lucky fairy circle of mushrooms.  Also at the cemetery, I met a cat, a friendly fellow rubbing my legs and making his wish known to come home to New Jersey and live with me.  He is now my new cat, named after the German Great-Uncle that I knew from the Young family when I was growing up, Uncle Yock.  Being a young fellow however, I am calling him "Little Yock" to avoid disrespect o my ancestor and avoid identfication problems when I refer to the cat in the future.

Although I usually end with Happy Trails and Happy Tails, this time I'd like to offer the advice I take myself which is to CELEBRATE for any reason you can find.  Life is short, let's live it to the full and enjoy every day of it.  I might add, my cats and dog most definitely help me to enjoy every day that I have on this earth.  Jo Ann 

PS.  I wanted to add the BEST VET in South Jersey, while I'm on the subject of the cat - Dr. Ed. Sheehen in Fiarview.  His web site link is under the cat, but you can look him up.  He is truly the most compassionate, and the most talented vet I've ever met and I've had cats and dogs all my life.  He is wonderful.