Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Favorite breakfast, delighting and one Beatle

- A favorite breakfast - Egg in a Frame. It was the first thing I ever learned to cook. 1. Pinch out center of bread to make a hole. 2. Place into a medium-hot skillet, drop a pat of butter in the center and let it melt until it is sizzling. 3. Crack an egg and fill the center hole with the raw egg. 4. When the egg white has turned white and the yolk has started to firm, gently flip the Egg in a Frame with a metal spatula. 5. Cook until the yolk is firm (or to desired firmness) 6. Remove from the pan and serve with salt and pepper. Yum!

- A little girl, delighting in a bank of petunias, picks a purple one that exactly matches the flowers in her dress.

- Sitting with a group of friends, the discussion turns toward the upcoming Paul McCartney concert in Atlanta; sparking a discussion of concerts we have all attended. Most of us have seen at least one Beatle in concert.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Back road, good home and order

- Taking a seldom used back road, impulsively turning into the driveway of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery. Stepping out of the car - a feeling of peace washes over me.

- As one of the brothers drives out, he patiently waits for the geese to move. He smiles with a twinkle in his eye as he goes by.

- Even the water tower has the mark of the order. They have a working farm, but supplement their income by selling handmade rosaries, fudge and bonsai trees.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Madly running, phenomenon and winner

- In one of their golf cart runs, my sister managed to photograph her dog Moby, who had captured an unfortunate iguana. Not a good thing for the iguana, but what a photo! Sis took the picture while Moby was running mad laps around and around the cart.

- This article in the Atlantic online that grabbed me with the headline "Running Under the Influence." The event is a worldwide phenomenon - a running club in Tokyo sponsors the event, called the Beer Mile relay, in which one must chug a beer without dripping and then run a mile. And then they didn't drive, but went to have snacks. :)

- Congratulations to Hardy Wallace, local wine connoisseur, who won the most votes in a contest to become the social media spokesperson for the Murphy-Goode winery in Sonoma Valley, California. Hardy will make $10,000 per month for the next six months to promote the winery using social media. His exuberant video submission got him his dream job. Go Hardy!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Glistening, by the water and signs

- A beautiful morning following a hard rain during the night. Everything new and glistening.

- This is the view from the back of an office building where a client's office is, although she sees it from five floors up. Yesterday I spotted her having a meeting at one of the tables by the water. A good spot for discussion, I think.

- Smiling at the two signs. A man, disregarding the admonishment not to smoke, nervously crushes out his cigarette when I come out. The geese are nowhere in sight. Maybe off looking for food.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

City dog, country dog and possible treats

- After about ten tries, finally getting a photo of Janet's dog Emily, a lively visitor to the gym.

- Smiling at an overheard conversation as my sister puts the phone down long enough to ask her husband to pick her up at the front door in the golf cart. They ride through their property so their dog Moby can run free. He could run like that any time he wants, but chooses the excitement of running amok while they ride along in his wake.

- A lengthy discussion about possible edible treats to take printing customers, bakery cookies, home-baked cookies, fruit or wrapped candy. All good things. Decisions, decisions.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Purple morning, diligence and gloriously good

- On a purple morning, Mr C's weighs in on the Presidential beer meeting.

- Family emails flying back and forth as we finally have insight on the disappearance of a family member c1910. Mystery kind of solved due to the diligent research done by my aunt.

- A gloriously good cake brought in by co-worker Joanne to honor the boss's birthday. She walked in apologizing for the cake, two layers of red velvet, one layer of yellow, fudge icing between the layers with cream cheese frosting on top. It didn't rise enough, the layers kept sliding in the car, etc etc. Nothing wrong with the taste. A Monday morning treat. So good!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Mastering the art, scent and peace

- My copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child has arrived from the used book seller. Always intending to get a copy, the inspiration to finally order came in the form of the book and film "Julie and Julia." I like this one with its tattered cover, a sign that it was well used.

- The way the scent of eggs cooking mingles with the smell of coffee brewing - making the house smell good all day.

- Finding myself in the unusual position of scheduling visiting preachers for our church without a pastor, a delightful email reply from an invitee, "Greetings from Palestine! Salaam in Christ." He is a Palestinian American Presbyterian preacher and is in Palestine and Jerusalem on a peacekeeping mission.