Haven't written in a while, and this when I've had so many thoughts running through my head. I shall share a sampling:
- Procrastination is inexcusable. And I am the queen of it. But really, can you think of a legitimate excuse for procrastination? It's basically just laziness. It's deciding not to do something you should do/need to do/want to do simply because you can't muster up enough gumption to do it now. My pronouncement does not apply to scheduling things for a later date. There are very often good reasons to plan to do something in the future that you possibly could do now. The key is the plan. And, of course, the following of the plan. Saying, "I'll do it tomorrow/next week/later" is not a plan. My recognition of all this was brought on by the death of my great uncle last week. My first thought was, "I was going to visit him sometime soon..." I had been planning on visiting him "soon" since our family reunion last June! When we were all gathered for the funeral, I heard my Grandmother and one of her other brothers talking about how they both had been meaning to call him to catch up. We all do it. Some more than others. Maybe it's just a part of the way one's brain works. But I want so badly to avoid it!
- In-and-out trips to the grocery store are very satisfying! I love it when I have a short, manageable list (preferably, short enough that you don't actually need it written down) and can walk straight to what I need, put it in my basket, check out, and move on to the next errand. I made a trip to the bank and the grocery store in under 30 minutes today. It was a beautiful thing.
- I am a sucker for good advertising. A
recent example: My grandmother has a cookbook from 1950 (Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, to be exact) that she got as a wedding present and that I have used on occasion (mostly for the recipes for biscuits or cornbread, once for a cake recipe submitted by Irene Dunne herself!). Most of the time, though, I use something newer. Well, last week in the mail we got a little booklet advertising the re-publication of the original 1950 Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. After looking through it, I was completely convinced it was the cookbook I needed to use for every meal from now on! I mean, it said it was "the cookbook that started America cooking!" "It's been cherished by three generations of American home cooks!" "It's packed with useful tips and heartwarming 1950-style 'wit and wisdom' you just won't find in today's cookbooks!" How could I live without it? I should probably even buy a new one just in case the old one wears out. I mean, it has tears and loose pages already. That's when I realized what was happening. No excuse. They had me eating out of their (collective) hand! It was then that I remembered the entire section dedicated to molded salads (what?), the suggestion to go to your local hardware store and order aluminum foil, and the way all of the given methods of making coffee involved using the stove top. I suppose it's not the only cookbook I'll ever need. Fun to use? Yes! A useful source of recipes? Yes! A miracle from heaven for the kitchen? Probably not. Ah, advertising.
- Last but not least, my new favorite thing: Christmas
Jelly! It tastes like a British Christmas. It's labeled as "Spiced Mixed Fruit Christmas Preserve," and it's got plums, red currants, and sultanas in it, among other things. So good. It's like mince pie for your toast.
