This story was originally posted @ golojax.com

In a brightly painted building on Main Street, Wafaa & Mike’s Cafe serves delicious Middle Eastern food in a friendly and warm atmosphere. The Cafe’s name itself adds to feeling that you are coming to dine at a friend’s home. In Wafaa & Mike’s Cafe, Springfield has another eatery which is truly a neighborhood gem. On the whole, Middle Eastern cuisine is full of flavorful dishes that are not only tasty, but pleasing to the eye. The food here does not disappoint.

On Monday, March 21, more than 420 Perkins Restaurant & Bakery locations will join together for a system-wide fundraiser benefitting Give Kids The World, a nonprofit organization that provides week-long vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families at a fanciful, “storybook” retreat in Central Florida. Guests dining at participating restaurants on “Perkins Pancake Day” can enjoy a free shortstack of Perkins made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes, expertly prepared using Perkins legendary recipe created and perfected more than 50 years ago. In return, guests can consider making a donation to Give Kids The World.

In November I bought a 1959 Ford pick-up truck from a neighbor, great condition and running, just lacking (albeit very important,) brakes.  I called Mike, owner of AA Auto Repair of Springfield, and he agreed to come and take a look at the truck sitting in the back of my neighbor's yard.  He arrived within 20 minutes, gave some information about the condition of the truck, but wanted to look at it at his shop where he could lift it up and see underneath better.  The owner of the truck (who is also my neighbor,) drove it to the shop, and I ran ahead of him and checked intersections for safety; it was a rather comical sight.