Fish pancakes, a birthday kick-off and cantaloupe confusion (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

Sometimes I try to make our pancakes in shapes—with varying success. More often I’m dropping batter into the pan and trying to remember to flip the cakes before they burn. Sometimes, though, the pancakes form into interesting shapes themselves. I love looking at the pancakes to see what form they’ve taken on, sort of like clouds in the sky.

This week one of our pancakes ended up looking like a hungry fish, possibly a pufferfish. He even had a chocolate chip eye in just the right spot. If I had set out to make fish-shaped pancakes I doubt I could have done as well.

~2~

My friend Theresa invited me to go to lunch to celebrate my birthday, which is later this month. Theresa, our friend Sharon, and I have been enjoying birthday lunches for each other for 14 years, though we were interrupted by the pandemic.

Getting back to our table in a corner of Petit Louis felt so wonderful, though Sharon has moved out of state and couldn’t join us.

Still, spending time with Theresa was delightful, and I felt that we were reclaiming some of what we missed over the past 16 months. These little reunions are my favorite aspect of 2021.

~3~

When I was chatting with our friend who finch sat for us on our vacation and his mother, I learned that he liked nectarines. So, I decided to make him a nectarine cake using the Baltimore peach cake recipe that is one of my favorite summer treats.

If you like nectarines or peaches, you might enjoy making a Baltimore peach (or nectarine) cake. You can find the Baltimore peach cake recipe here. Bring on the whipped cream!

~4~

Every now and then I open my photos on my phone and find a series of nature pictures taken by my younger son. He’s usually shot them through one of our windows, creeping stealthily closer and closer to try to get his photos without disrupting our friends outside.

I love how excited we get to see the rabbits and birds in our yard.

I hope my not-so-little boy never loses that interest and curiosity in the natural world.

~5~

The other day I was standing in line at the grocery store, and the cashier was trying to ring up a cantaloupe that didn’t have a sticker on it. He and the two customers who were buying it started debating how to spell cantaloupe so the cashier could find it in the system.

Their spelling guesses were all over the place, and I couldn’t figure out a way to insert myself gracefully into the conversation.

It was torture—not just listening to the many possible and yet erroneous spellings of the word—but also not knowing what my responsibility was as a person who knows how to spell cantaloupe. Should I intervene? Even if I might seem rude?

Days later, I am still wondering how I could have been more helpful in that situation—or whether I handled it completely properly. Not everyone overthinks everyday moments like that, but this is a place where I really can excel.

You know what they say, “If you see something, say something.” And if you know how to spell cantaloupe and no one else does, force yourself into the conversation as some sort of human dictionary just to keep the grocery lines moving. Or…don’t?

~6~

My father came to spend time with one of our sons while I took the other to the doctor, and I was so happy they were able to be together. Just being able to have people in our house again seems like an enormous blessing and not one I will take for granted for a long time.

Before my father left, he placed a bag of chocolates on the counter. Such a Grandpa thing to do.

~7~

I am coming to the end of two consecutive weeks off from work. I was remembering that many years ago, back when I was a newspaper reporter, I took three consecutive weeks off. I had requested one week of vacation, and my editor told me to extend my time because I had a ridiculous amount of comp time earned up from working too many extra hours.

Back then, I took a trip to Rome. This time we spent the first week at the beach, and the second week has been a time for relaxing, reading, and figuring out some medical appointments. It hasn’t been a very productive time, and that’s exactly what I wanted.

I hope you’ve found some time to rest and relax, too.

Find more quick takes on Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a wonderful weekend!

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