~1~
About eight years ago, my sister Treasa and her husband George bought us two Corelle platters as a gift. As they were taking them out of their car to carry them to our house, the bag fell out of their hands and the platters smashed on the ground. Our dinner guests arrived at our door bearing a sad plastic bag full of platters smashed in smithereens.
For eight years, I have wanted another simple serving platter and never purchased one. We have one that we use every day. Then I go looking for it to use it for something else and realize it’s already full of corn on the cob or the main dish or biscuits or salad. Finally, the other day I got frustrated that we didn’t have a second one, and I ordered two more. They’re not expensive, and they are easy to find. I can’t believe it took me so long to address this. Now, every night as I pull them out for dinner, I feel like a queen.
It doesn’t take much to make me happy.
~2~
Is there anything more beautiful than a freshly painted wall with freshly installed bookshelves and freshly organized books on it?
There’s something so satisfying about seeing a section of our house that is so meticulously organized—especially when so much of the house is not.
When we finally send everyone back to school, I think I need to do a full cleaning of the entire place. Or I’ll just sit and read all those books in peace. One of the two.
~3~
This week, my father mentioned that my sister’s fridge might not be working right. He described how he was trying to take the temperature inside.
“Are you using a refrigerator thermometer?” I said.
“Is that a thing?” he said.
At that moment, I recalled that not everyone has had to have a health inspection of their house done for their adoption process. And so not everyone has refrigerator thermometers in the house. But we happen to own two. So, I loaned one to my father.
~4~
Because the fridge is broken, my sister wanted to clear out her freezer before things went bad. We didn’t have much extra freezer space, so I said we didn’t really need any meat. But my neighbor and walking buddy happened to mention that one of her daughters loves corned beef, which Treasa had offered. So, I accepted on her behalf.
When I took the corned beef to my neighbor, she told me she had just learned that her brother won a Pulitzer Prize.
Somehow, given that news, the corned beef seemed a little less exciting. Or maybe it just added to the excitement. It was quite a marvelous day.
~5~
Have you ever cooked ribs in the crockpot?
Somehow, I am just discovering that you can throw ribs, a jar of barbecue sauce, some sliced onions, and a little garlic in a crockpot and cook them all day on low and end up with moist, fall-off-the-bone ribs.
I recognize that ribs on the grill might be superior. But dinner that cooks itself and fills the house with decadent aromas all afternoon wins in my book.
~6~
One of my friends and colleagues is expecting a baby boy next month, and I was invited to a virtual baby shower to celebrate her little one. I had never been to a virtual shower, and it was lovely. Each guest received a box of goodies to enjoy during the shower, and then we Zoomed together and saw the gifts for the baby and the nursery and everything.
I am excited to throw an in-person work shower for her in my yard next week. I’m hoping for pleasant—or, at least, not rainy—weather so we can enjoy being together.
I’ve never been much of an outdoor host, but I am enjoying opening up our deck and backyard to friends.
~7~
Since I’m vaccinated, I don’t have to wear my mask at Mass, but I don’t feel right not wearing it if my children need to wear theirs.
Maybe at some point I’ll feel differently about that, but for now I’m into mask solidarity.
I’m so, so happy to be back at Mass in person and to be able to receive the Eucharist.
Find more quick takes on Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a wonderful weekend.
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