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Monday, June 15, 2020

Such a Monday

Let me know if this day would wear you out! I get up at eight a.m., spend forty five to sixty minutes getting my gear wheel engaged. I open my door and am escorted anxiously by the cat to his end of the house. There I remedy his food and water bowl under his anxious eye. Then, totally unsupervised, I clean and refresh his litter box. Now I am free to mosey alone to the kitchen and make and enjoy my breakfast.

My morning task was to insert little congratulatory notes, affix address labels and mail the gifts I'd commissioned for some graduations. That is some mean task; it means manhandling fairly large boxes, getting them (barely) into carrier bags and into my car, then in reverse from my car and into the post office. With a cane in the other hand, and no kind door opener this morning.

I was home just before noon, and sat down to check and answer emails. I opened one from our friend AARP and took a look at recipes on offer. There was a lunch called Eggs in Purgatory. It was far more food than I would eat for lunch, but a perfect supper. But first I needed some focaccia.


I made a two loaf batch, which emptied the flour and sugar jars enough to hold what wouldn't fit when I shopped.


After I cleaned up the kitchen I went to weave for half an hour, then tended to the bread. It was great focaccia, in spite of a few extra minutes in the oven.


I put together the Eggs in Purgatory (half the batch made two meals for me) and popped them into my still hot oven.


Some Parmesan cheese, and it was supper divine. I'm sure someone will ask for the recipe, so I'll get it ready for another day. 

Let me show you Francis' gift, which inspired the other two. It was made by my friend Deb Bures, the porcelain potter. It began last summer, when I saw one of the plates she periodically posts and sells on Facebook, and I bought it. It showed a period bicycle, throwing mud. You may remember seeing it on my stove, as the alternate spoon rest.

Then another time on Facebook, I saw a porcelain mug with a bicycle, throwing even more mud! I needed it, for Frances. I sent the two pieces home with his mother, wrapped in, what else, towels.

Because I did not take a picture, I asked him to do so. Because he intends to be a journalist, I asked him to take a marketing worthy photo. Here is his graduation set. In a couple of days, I'll show you Laura and Blake's sets.










29 comments:

  1. Some days I don't feel like I did a darn thing, then blog about it and folks say something like, where do you find the energy?! Those ceramics are really cute.

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  2. I do like Debra's work. I have a little ginkgo bowl which she made. You are quite the accomplishful person!

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  3. Yes, your day would wear me out. I find my energy seems to wain as the day wears on as it is. One of our two cats is quite vocal in asking for his breakfast and he seems to start asking an hour earlier each day. I've got to work with him on his timekeeping! I love the plate, cup and of course the towels! What a nice gift combo. Frances did a great job with the photo, I love the setting and the nature colors in the background. I bet that egg dish was delicious. Focaccia is wonderful, especially homemade. I hear from AARP daily and sometimes they do have good recipes. Take care Joanne.

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  4. You had a day and a half!! Lots accomplished today!

    Betty

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  5. I am so glad you do stuff in the day- I live through your activity and sleep well at night. I do not do much these days...getting used to it and that could be a big No
    thank you from my body that has forgotten how to move. Pottery gift is the best sort of gift! Very thoughtful.

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  6. Your day would totally exhaust me.
    I do envy you getting to do the kitty litter cleaning on your own though. Jazz follows me and defiles the fresh stuff - often even before I have got the lid back on the tray.
    The graduation gifts look totally perfect. Thoughtful and treasurable.

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  7. The Eggs in Purgatory dish looks tasty. Incidentally, we've been using King Arthur flour for our baking needs these days. They do good work.

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  8. You had a full day. I love the gift you put together for Frances.

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  9. That's a full day. I love Francis' gift package :)
    Making focaccia would do me in, I'm hopeless at any sort of bread making. My day has been less full, with a hour and a half walk, then a big batch of chicken schnitzels made for the freezer. The clean up from that takes the wind out of my sails.

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  10. Hari OM
    You are simply not letting time slip away more than necessary!!! The package for F is Fabulous and I am sure it will be for B and L too... Much love. YAM xx (who is back 'on duty'...)

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  11. Don't you slave away at a loom between all of this?

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    1. Exhausting or what! Shall not ask for the recipe if you intend to put in on but they do look delicious!

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  12. I am curious to know what you did in your spare time! I want to regress to student days, or perhaps I'll take a course for seniors so that I can graduate again and you can send me one of your delightful, well-considered gifts! And the bread looks fantastic, Joanne. On second thoughts, maybe I'll pick up my gift and then I can try the eggs too!

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  13. Whatever Eggs in Purgatory is, it sure looks good.

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  14. Lovely gifts! Debs link didn't work, but I found them online. Beautiful pottery. I look forward to the recipe, the dish looks good.

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  15. You DID have a productive day! And good for you! My mojo just is not working.

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  16. I love this post as it perfectly describes the busy-ness of a morning. I am always astonished when I look at my morning and consider it a "waste" but it's not. It is full of minor activities.

    I absolutely adore the mug and the plate, gorgeous work.

    XO
    WWW

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  17. Sometimes when we list things we see how busy we are. I kept a journal for 10 years when I was about 40. The things I do today are much different.

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  18. I did absolutely nothing yesterday except fritter the day away on line foolishly thinking I could have a conversation about several topics. both devolved by the other person at which point I said buh bye. and then unfollowed the guy.

    pretty lime green towels and what a great present!

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  19. What a beautiful and thoughtful graduation gift!

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  20. That day would have been enough to tire me for sure. The gift is wonderful.

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  21. It sounds like one of those days where you do one thing, which leads to two more. I do love the cup and plate sets - what a talented potter! They look especially nice with your beautiful towels.

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  22. Just reading about your day made me tired. So many graduations at once... that gets expensive.

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  23. Joanne, I use King Arthur flour also. Actually keep some in the cabinet and some in the freezer. I've never made focaccia bread - although I do like it. Maybe it will be my next 'new thing'. Thanks for the idea.

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    1. It seems to be bread with one rising. That's how I do it. Big grain.

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  24. Those eggs look good...
    Do you find that some days you run as if on clockwork and others, for no apparent reason, you just can't even turn the key..

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  25. The eggs look delicious and the bicycle duo seems a perfect gift for Francis. You keep yourself productive. I, on the other hand, got up at 9:30 and I'm really not sure what I might do today:-)

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  26. A busy day at your house. Mine start off similarly with the Demon Duo insisting on attention immediately.

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