a.  From Helen Stocum:     “Stopped in to the new Yarn shop. Lovely assortment of yarns. Sadly, I am not a knitter or crocheter (is that a word?).  They even have alpaca yarn that is so soft.”

“Coffee shop coming soon. We must support these small businesses if we want a viable village.”

Paul Goldfinger © portrait of Maggie at the alpaca farm, 2014. Link below.
Dee, the alpaca rancher, says that Maggie’s behavior indicates that she is “in the mood for love”©

Blogfinger reports on alpaca farm in Wall

Editor’s note—PG:  Thanks Helen.   Eileen is a crocheter  (she verifies the word) and she belongs to a knitting/crocheting  group called Happy Fingers.

We’ll check out the new shop.  The idea of a yarn shop seems attractive, because knitting and crocheting are creative arts resulting in unique hand-made items that are practical and warm.  It’s the sort of business we need in the Grove.  Locals should support the arts in town.

I like your reference to a “viable village.”  It’s too bad the Chamber of Commercials hasn’t tried to define  a vision for our downtown.

I also am looking forward to an authentic coffee shop–much overdue since the February 2015 fire on Main Avenue.  At that time it seemed that the Bean would re-open, but it never did.   Here is a link:

Fire damages Barbaric Bean

b.  WASSUP?  song of the week:  

HARRY NILSSON from Midnight Cowboy:

Blogfinger is the only media source which is devoted primarily to OG.  There had been a newspaper in town until the end of the last century.    BF was supposed to be an information sharing project—- a new digital idea for small towns where local newspapers have been dying like an epidemic.   But that idea hasn’t worked out very well. So here is Helen Stocum helping us out today with some news.

It would be a public service if more of you did the same.  Just write to Blogfinger@verizon.net.  You can even provide anonymous information. But no fake news, tall tales or yarns (except in Helen’s case.)

Thanks, Paul @Blogfinger.net

Caprese salad by Eileen Goldfinger in Ocean Grove. October,2018. ©

c.  Eileen makes a caprese salad in October.  The tomato crop is about over for the Jerseys.  Eileen used small Campari’s  (from Mexico)  for this salad.

Usually the Caprese salad contains only tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil with a vinaigrette dressing, but this time she was inspired to add a bed of romaine lettuce and some avocado slices.  Below is a link to her original  (2015)  recipe including the dressing:

Caprese salad by Eileen

CONNIE FRANCIS:

d.  Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Assoc. has hired a new Executive Director.  His name is James “Jamie” Jackson.  He comes from Virginia where he has been the Chief Operating Officer of a combined fitness complex and Christian congregation with a 100+ member staff.