Talking toast, nests, ice cream sandwiches, and peach season (7 Quick Takes)

This week I’m not numbering the takes. Maybe this will be confusing and everyone will get lost in the takes. But I have been thinking little headings might be fun, so let’s give it a try!

~Let’s talk toast~

How do you like your toast? I like mine to be just barely toasted as if hardly touched by the heat. But my husband and younger son like theirs actually toasted—dark and brown and crispy.

Part of being a wife and mother is learning how to make toast just the way someone else likes it. It looks too dry and crunchy for me, but my customer for breakfast this morning was delighted with the charred pieces of bread I pulled out of the toaster.

Toast always makes me think of Mercy Watson, who likes hot toast with a great deal of butter on it.

~The Nest Best Thing~

Our birds have been working so hard on their nest. It’s mostly Ron who’s hard at work. Hermione loves the nest, but she doesn’t pitch in quite as much. It’s become a real masterpiece, and it looks so comfortable when they sit next to each other in the nest together.

I’m not sure it’s structurally sound, but it is beautiful, and they are very proud of it.

~Let’s hear it for the birds~

We’ve been trying to give the birds fruits and vegetables along with their regular food because it’s good for them and fun for us. When I make our grocery list, I realize I’m thinking first about what the birds might like.

Today I realized we had to order groceries because we were out of corn on the cob, which is Ron and Hermione’s favorite. Yesterday I was late putting the corn in the cage, and Ron stood in the spot where I always place the corn and sang and sang until the corn appeared.

How great is our God that He creates these tiny little beings who are packed with personality and bring so much happiness to our home? P.S. Don’t ask me what I’ll do when you can’t get fresh corn.

~I scream, you scream, we all scream for…~

I was working the other day when I looked away from the screen and realized that sitting within a foot of my laptop was a half-eaten ice cream sandwich.

It was slowly melting, melting, melting into its wrapper on the table.

Some days I think we should let each of the children pick topics to study this summer while we’re home—maybe World War II or Understanding Helium or Finch Friendships. Some days I think I should just pick the topics myself.

We’ll start with “What happens when you leave an ice cream sandwich resting on a table on a summer day.”

~Let’s go camping…or not~

Our neighbors were at an estate sale the other day and found a tent that had barely been used. They dropped it off on our back porch. I have no plans to go camping, but the boys will surely enjoy playing in the tent in the yard.

We have the kindest, most generous neighbors—on both sides.

~Bring on the peaches~

The peaches are just starting to get good. I had some this week that were juicy and ripe.

At this point in the summer, when the peaches start to taste so sweet and delicious, I have to bake peach cake. I was thinking I might make one for myself this weekend for my birthday, but my mother is going to bake a cake for me—even though we are still distancing.

As I type, I realize this means I’m not getting 44 kisses and one to grow on this year from my mother. Pandemic life can be so unfair. But I’ll have a cake to enjoy, and when my sister Treasa texted me and said, “Any ideas for things you want for your birthday?” I rattled off a long list.

Afterward, I thought maybe the right thing to say was, “Not a thing!” But when your sister asks, you start naming the books you’ve been wanting to read and the coffee you’ve been wanting to brew.

~My birthday plans~

When this all started in March, somehow I thought I would have an ordinary birthday. I didn’t expect that we would still be under a pandemic lockdown. Still, I just love my birthday, and I am going into it with reasonable expectations. We will celebrate with steamed crabs and a quiet-ish weekend.

For my gift, John is even installing a TV in our bedroom. I have been dropping hints that if we had a second TV maybe I could occasionally watch episodes of The Crown. I’ve watched one episode since March. Now I will have no excuse.

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

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