pavlova

It's an Australian dessert that will make good use of the plentiful berries which are now in season. Even saying and writing name is a delight, p-a-v-l-o-v-a. I will bake the crust on Monday and have it for a family farewell dinner for Miss Aly.

Do people bake anymore? I need to start following some blogs about everyday things and try to get a feel for that sort of homekeeping. The difficulty with baking and homemade things in general is the calorie factor. Pretty soon I've downed 4 cookies before I have even washed the cookie sheets. And the butter! omg---it's just too good.

I walked around Lake Calhoun today with Patrick and we decided to have a little "couples" workout 2 nights a week. Okay, get your minds out of the gutter and focus on the state of the art gym equipment at "our" Sheraton next door. It's a good thing to begin, we'll see how the partnering affects our partnership.

I feel a new blog coming on...peggy and pat's physical philosophy.

Or pensive paradox of pain...

Stay tuned.


Quote from coach Phil Jackson;


"Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I am doing."


How's that pat?

prophetic

My ode to butter a few weeks ago echoes in the media. The movie about Julia Child, which comes out in August, has a charming preview with the line, "you can never have enough butter."

The newspaper's Taste section today dedicates nearly the entire front page to the flavor and beauty of butter. More importantly, it contains a detailed recipe on how to make your own!

Nirvana!

I'm so excited to try it, I need to go to an organic dairy right now!


Quote from Maya Angelou;

"The future was plump with promise."


take care!

philosophy

The last two entries to this "blogspot" have been of the complaining sort. I do not have poor service or interactions everyday. Mostly they are very positive and productive.

In fact, just today I had a great experience in a specialty gift store, a friendly and fast lunch waitress, a very quick and polite barista making me an iced latte, and actual help at Michael's craft store. Yes, a real person asked me if I needed help and she helped me find the right sized paper item! It's a miracle! Some of you know what a horrific experience can be had at a craft or fabric store.

That doesn't mean I'm over being treated badly. It happens. And you know who you are.


Quote from a church sign;

" Life is a measure to be filled, not a cup to be drained."


Be kind.

positively polite

What is the polite way to express what you need--and get it without attitude (or overly gratuitous empty words).

There are few times where I feel like a wanted and needed customer. My interaction with service industry folks typically begin on a positive note. Yet more often than not, it ends up an unsatisfactory conclusion. Not so much that I don't get what I need, but the debate and the near arm wrestling that occurs leaves me cold.

One ticket exchange comes to mind, where just a few words would have diffused the whole situation. Lisa and I have Mn Orchestra tickets for a series of concerts. These tickets were purchased separately and at every event we would get in the will call line and exchange them for a pair seated together. With no charge. At the last event we did the same thing, only to be told that there is a fee for any ticket exchange. I explained about the prior free exchanges and the manager insisted there has always been a fee, and if we wanted seats together we'd have to pay. Back and forth, back and forth, only to finally find out there is no fee if you "downgrade" your ticket. Which had been the case in our prior exchanges. And it had only been a matter of two of three rows nearer the orchestra--which is what we prefer!

We left the ticket area with a new pair of tickets, but feeling incredulous about how a simple sentence would have saved everyone time and frustration!

"I can exchange these tickets for ones in area B for no fee, or in area A for $10."

Done deal. Everybody is happy.

Simple.

The words we choose to say--or NOT say-- are powerful. It really does matter in our daily lives. Choose the words that will create calm happiness and goodness all around.



Quote from Marie Curie;

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and ...confidence in ourselves."


Speak well.

positive pedestrian

Do you ever ponder the everyday occurrences that seem inconsequential? The cashier who is competent, the waiter who is knowledgeable, the pedestrian for whom you yield, the person who waves you into merging traffic, the kind reception desk person at an office or medical building, the list goes on.

All of these people go unnoticed unless you perceive being treated badly. Depending on the offense, that interaction will cloud your whole day, or even cause you to make a phone call or write a letter to express your displeasure.

I have made it a point to be friendly to the people working in stores and in my walks around the neighborhood. My positive attitude and "hello" to the different folks I encounter makes me feel happy. I sometimes wonder if my greeting to the fellow in droopy clothes and paper bag in hand is the only friendly greeting he receives all day. The scooter lady who always asks if I have run into any trouble on the Greenway, the Somalis who most often do not return a friendly hello, the dog walkers who wonder why I have such a loud barking shaggy dog, the biker patrols who sweep up broken glass, the trash pickers and graffiti cleaners---all these folks interact with others. If they've had a good encounter with you, most likely they'll pass it on.

Just a smile or nice comment can make our interactions positive.

It can make all difference!

Get caught up in being positive!


Quote from Jesus;

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you


now go out there and make someone happy!

perfectly prolific potatoes

Potatoes---as in salad. But I didn't want to pollute the alliteration.

I had a lovely stay at my Aunt and Uncle's cabin near Alexandria over the 4th of July weekend. Part of my addition to the collective food effort was making the potato salad. The only reason I am trusted do this is because after 20 years of trying, I finally have it down. The secret is...using no recipe. You have to have a feel for how much of each ingredient goes into the big bowl. And I suppose you have to live with my mother and witness her create it for years and basically learn through osmosis.

The humorous part of this food tale comes in the reference to the Biblical "loaves and fishes" story. The salad came out at every meal, enjoyed and requested I might add, and the bowl did not become empty until Sunday noon! Lisa and I mentioned it on Saturday night and Patrick joked about it on Sunday---"the 4th of July miracle!"

It's good to be living in America. There is no cruise or multi-star resort that can compare to a perfect 4th of July weekend. Grilling in the drive way, a garage fridge full of beer from New Ulm, floaties with slow leaks, sparklers, playing shark attack, boat rides, purchasing cool fireworks from a big tent with disturbingly enthusiastic salespeople, tee-shirts from Wal-Mart, waving from the red white and blue decked out boat in the parade, making ice cream and lighting up little tanks that go BOOM! (and burn the hair off Patrick's ankles.) Impossible to surpass.


Quote from Henry James;

"Summer afternoon---summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language."


take care.

pots and pans

In the pursuit of cooking, one creates fabulous delicious dishes and a boat load of dirty dishes. The dishwasher is a wonderful appliance but I've noticed some damage to the finish of some glassware and pans. I just made a big vat of potato salad for the 4th of July weekend and am amazed at how much effort it takes to create homemade food.

Now, I love making food for my nearest and dearest, and there is no deli salad that can come close to the ones I create, but wowser! How many pieces of my kitchen gear have to be utilized and washed at the end of the session! whew! And how many new items from Sur la Table appeal to me and my creative cooking? Dreams only to be dashed by the reality of my limited kitchen storage space. Woe is me.

Am I hearkening back to my former blog ranting about cleaning?

I believe it will be the thread of continuity through my written posts.

Be patient, I may get over it one day.

Quote from Dorothy Parker:


"Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves."


That's what I'm talking about!

stay safe.